


Summer of 89’

by gamorasquill



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU, Angst, Blood, F/M, Fluff, Georgie is ALIVE, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, Puppy Love, Romance, Superpowers AU, Swearing, Teenage Issues, Violence, kind of, pennywise is in this of course, sorry about that, summary is really long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-01-29 07:42:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12626343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamorasquill/pseuds/gamorasquill
Summary: Derry, Maine.Summer of 1989.One night after school is out for the summer, Bill Denbrough and the rest of the Losers run into trouble with the Bowers Gang. Their confrontation ends with in wild goose chase in the dead of night inside a darkened cave.As they run amuck inside, the eleven kids unleash an ancient power inside of the caves and it gives them...super powers.Their mischief turns into innocent fun as they explore the depths of their new gifts. All is well in the little town of Derry...until the kids realize that their new powers weren’t the only thing unleashed in that cave. They also unleashed a spirit.A dark and evil spirit...





	1. Chapter 1

Bill woke with an unbearable headache. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he found himself staring at warm pink sky. It oddly reminded him of the strawberry lemonade his mother loved to make in the spring. The the tranquil moment was immediately ruined by the sudden pain throbbing through his skull and echoing throughout his brain in waves. It was like someone had hit him over the head with frying pain like they did in the cartoons.

He sat up and found himself surrounded by the forest. Leaves crinkled and crunched as he moved into a sitting position, pebbles and sticks digging into the palms of his hands. He groaned as another throb of pain dug into his skull.

_What the hell happened?_

The sky above his head was pink with purples clouds drifting along in the air. A pale golden gibbous moon hung in the pink sea, only accompanied by a few twinkling stars and the occasional passing airplane. There was a gentle breeze blowing, rustling the leaves on the trees overhead. The only other sound in the air was the soft breathing seemingly surrounding him.

He wasn't alone. He finally realized, turning to look around and finding not only his friends at his side but also his foes. Mike, Stan, Beverly, Eddie, Richie and Ben were sprawled all around him; still unconscious. Laying father away but still close enough to do serious damage was Henry Bowers and his gang of asshole friends.

Bill felt a cold sweat break out over his skin. He looked over his friends and noticed that they all looked a little worse for wear. Eddie's clothes were torn and his pale chest was littered with bruises and cuts. Beverly and Ben were saturated in what looked like dried blood. Mike and Stan's clothes were singed, almost as if someone had tried to light the two of them on fire. Richie's glasses were cracked and he had a nasty looking bruise forming over his left eye. Someone had obviously punched him in the face.

Bill felt a twinge if pain in his ribs and legs and saw nasty bruises forming on his own skin. The strange thing was...he didn't have the slightest idea of what had happened to him. His mind was pulling the biggest blank he had ever seen. He couldn't remember anything that had happened the previous night.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

It was as if someone had completely wiped his memory or had a least carved a portion of his mind right out of his brain. Why was he outside at the crack of dawn aching and covered with bruises? Why were all of his friends there with him looking just as bad if not worse than he did? And last but certainly not least why the _fuck_ was _**HENRY BOWERS AND HIS GANG**_ here with them!?

_What the hell happened the night before?_

A soft groan brought Bill out of his thoughts and he turned to find who produced the sound. Was one of his friends waking up? Maybe they could remember something that had happened! As he searched a slow movement caught his attention and he froze.

It wasn't one of his friends waking up. It was Henry Bowers.

Just his luck.

In that moment Bill took the time to look over the other group of boys. They definitely looked beaten up and tossed around too. Belch's clothes were shredded and the skin underneath covered in deep gashes. Like Ben and Beverly, Vic was also saturated in blood. It made his shock white blonde hair look pinkish. Patrick had to be the worst looking out of everyone in both groups. His usual pale skin looked kind of bluish like he was thrown in a freezer. His hair was slickened with...blood? Was he _bleeding?_

Before he could ponder more on the health of Patrick Hockstetter, Henry Bowers was up and on his feet. He grumbled a complaint low in his throat and cracked his neck and knuckles. As he straightened up and looked around a splitter of confused and angry curses fell past his lips.

"Where the fuck...?"

As he turned to do what Bill assumed was check his surroundings, their eyes locked and a cloud of contempt fell over Henry's eyes. “You." He growled, blue green eyes looking ready to burst out of his skull. "You little fucking _shit!"_

Bill made a pathetic attempt to crawl away which resulted in him clutching his leg in pain. When he looked down to see what had caused the pain, he found a series of scratches that stung with each movement he made. He watch helplessly as Henry advanced on him, a violent gleam shimmering in his eyes. He knew that this was the worst possible scenario. In a fight, he didn’t stand a chance against Henry and the older teen had been dying for a chance to pummel him for weeks. Now he here he was and there was no one coming to his rescue.

He was as good as dead...

"What the fuck did you do you little shit!?" Henry demanded, snatching him by the collar of his shirt.

Instinctively, Bill threw his hands up in an effort to shield his face from any blows Henry was itching to throw. “N-nothing! I-I d-d-didn’t do anything, I s-swear!"

Henry clenched his hand into a shaking fish but before he could strike, Richie and Mike came to his rescue. They tackled him away from Bill's shaking form and crashed into the ground a few feet away. Thankful and eternally grateful to his friends, Bill struggled to his feet. He watched Mike and Richie fight with all their might to keep Henry pinned down but thanks to his age and maturity Bowers was quickly gaining the upper hand.

"St-Stop!" He cried, storming up to the scuffle despite the screaming pain in his legs.

To Bill’s amazement, Richie roughly shoved Henry away from Mike with a growl. He turned to Bill with a fire burning in his magnified eyes and it made Bill feel immensely loved in a way he never had before. In that moment he knew Richie was ready and willing to fight Henry and the rest of his gang for Bill should he need to. 

“You little faggots are fucking dead.” Henry snarled, reaching for something on his waist that wasn’t there.

"We don't k-know what's going on either Henry!" He snapped, glaring at the older teen. "W-we all just w-woke up here t-to."

Henry didn't say a word, just glared flaming daggers at Bill. Richie watched him warily, ready to defend himself or his friends should Bowers try anything funny. He didn’t trust whatever was going on with Henry and he was right to. Henry was one hot headed asshole who was capable of many sinister things. All they had to do was look into his eyes to see that they couldn’t trust him. Now or ever. It was like even now he was fantasizing about all the different ways he could carve Bill and his friends into a thousand pieces.

"I know how much y-you want to p-pummel us but Patrick is h-hurt!"

That made Henry's demeanor do a complete 360. His eyes grew to large proportions and he took a threatening step closer.

“The fuck are you talking about?” He demanded.

With a deep frown he turned to look at his friends, searching for Patrick. Belch and Vic were awake now, examining each other's wounds but Hockstetter was still lying unconscious beside them. Fear seemed to take over Henry's features and he shoved Richie down before walking over to his friends.

Bill quickly followed after him but made sure to be cautious and keep a little distance. He didn't want Henry to suddenly turn on him and beat him to a bloody pulp. Luckily Bowers seemed much more interested in checking on Patrick. In a matter of seconds Patrick's head was settled in his lap and Henry’s fingers were threading through his hair in search of a wound. He winced when he found what he was looking for. A nasty swollen lump on the back of his head. He had been hit with something, maybe a rock, hard on the head. He'd be lucky if all he got from that was a concussion.

"Fuck. Belch! Do you remember where you left the fucking car?" Henry called.

The larger teen held up his jingling keys in one hand and held his head in the other. "I think so yeah."

"Then lets get the fuck out of here. Patrick needs a doctor." Henry ordered, slugging the unconscious teen over his shoulder in one swift motion. It looked like an impressive feat but Patrick was a walking pile of skin and bones. He weighed practically nothing.

As they walked off in search of Belch's car, Bill turned to his friends. Stan, Beverly, Ben and Eddie had all regained consciousness and were looking over each other. As soon as he saw Eddie was awake, Richie was at his side with his inhaler in hand. After hugging him senseless, he made sure that Kaspbrak took a good couple of hits from his inhaler. The last thing he wanted was for him to hyperventilate and have a panic attack.

"The hell's going on?" Stan asked, his voice cracking horribly. Bill was a little startled to hear that (Stan’s voice hadn’t cracked that bad in weeks.) He chalked it up to the anxiety and fear that Stan was undoubtedly feeling along with the rest of the losers.

"How did we get here?" Mike asked. "Where _is_ here?"

"Somewhere in the middle of bum fuck nowhere." Richie quickly retorted, patting Eddie on the back gently as he regain his steady breathing. "Do you think that weird fucking cave had anything to do with all of this?"

All eyes were suddenly in the opposite direction and they all became...aware. They stared at the cave in question, each one chilled by its sinister appearance. The entrance was dark and ominous looking like danger lurked deep within. Richie looked back at Bill who stared at the cave with an almost blank expression.

"Bill?" He called.

That seemed to jerk the boy back into reality and he shook his head before meeting his gaze. "W-we need to get out of here." He urged.

The others seemed to agree quickly and struggled to their feet. There was something creeping into the atmosphere and they could all feel it. Whatever it was...it wasn’t good.

Ben never left Beverly's side, clutching her hand gently in his own. Richie also stayed with Eddie, one hand around his shoulders to keep him close. Stan, Mike and Bill all walked together, holding each other’s hands for support. Bill leaned a portion of his weight on Mike, which helped ease the pain of walking on his wounded leg.

As they got further away from the cave, Bill felt something tugging inside of him. It was like someone or something was whispering to him, beckoning to him. Calling him back to the caves that they were all so desperate to get away from. Bill felt himself wanting to look back...and so he did.

He turned over his shoulder to look at the cave now far off in the distance and to his immense horror...he found a creature staring right back at him. He could see the darkened entrance and standing inside was a tall and brooding figure dressed in a dirty white suit. It was gigantic like a statue and white like polished marble with a painted face and wild orange hair. There were jarring golden eyes watching him with a deadly smile. Oddly enough, it looked like a... _a clown?_

"Bill?”

Bill looked around, his widened eyes lost and confused. "Huh? What?" He called out, dazed like he had just woken up from a dream.

“I asked if you were okay.” Mike replied gently, though his eyes made it more than obvious that he was worried.

“Are you okay?” Stan reiterated, joining Mike in his worry.

Bill forced himself to look ahead at Richie and Eddie walking ahead of him. He couldn’t face the kindness in Mike’s eyes it the vulnerability in Stan’s. Not at that very moment.

“I don’t know.” He confessed quietly. “Ask me again when this is all over.”


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie shivered as he crawled into bed like a defeated and thoroughly kicked puppy. His mother had screamed herself hoarse after he had been returned home by the police. Her voice had broken as she furiously sobbed at him, clearly hurt and shaken up by him not returning home the previous night. Then when he did return home he was scratched up, bruised and covered in blood. Blood that wasn’t even his! Just one look at him and his mother was hysterical. Eddie knew that he'd be lucky if he was let out of his mother's sight for the next couple of days, maybe even weeks.

With a small huff, Eddie wiggled his way underneath his covers and quickly rolled onto his stomach. He turned into his left side so he wasn't suffocating in his pillows, nuzzling his cheek against the coolness of the sheets. His body was practically screaming from him moving around but he swallowed it down, letting his eyes slip closed.

He was definitely relieved that this day was over but he still had so many unanswered questions. All of them beginning with the strange cave that they had all quickly fled from. What had happened the night before? Did they go inside the cave? Were they being chased inside said cave? What was the Bowers Gang doing there? What the hell had happened to Patrick Hockstetter?

Eddie hadn't heard or seen anything himself but Bill had been going on about it during their ride back into town. He explained that while the others were still coming to, he and Henry had searched Patrick's bleeding head and found a pretty nasty bump. Bill said it look like someone had hit him over the head with a rock and they had hit him pretty hard too.

_"It'll be a m-m-miracle if h-he only has a c-concussion and not b-b-brain damage."_

Bill's words echoed in his head and with each ring he felt a twinge of worry. Eddie Kaspbrak was no fan of Patrick Hockstetter by any means. Certainly not. The guy was a massive asshole and had hurt him and his friends on many an occasion. However; despite all of the messed up shit Patrick had done, Eddie still couldn't help but worry for him. No one knew if he was going to be okay and his head wound looked really serious according to his friends.

 _ **“Poor Mrs. Hockstetter.”**_ A slivery voice whispered to him. **_“Already robbed of one son now finds herself facing the possibility of losing the other.”_**

Eddie could already picture her now. The small and mousy woman dressed in her beautiful silk and lace mourning gown with a matching black hat obscuring her eyes. She stood over an angel shaped headstone next to her stern looking husband. Her sorrowful gray blue eyes that were rimmed red and leaking countless tears, void of any emotion except grief. The cold air bereft of any sound save for that of Mrs. Hockstetter's gut wrenching sobs as she mourned her firstborn.

A sickening feeling settled in the pit of Eddie's stomach as he looked on and he fought back a gag. His stomach lurched and it took all of his might to swallow down whatever had come up.

_No!_

He couldn't afford to freak out or panic. He especially couldn’t afford to vomit. Not now. He didn't want to throw up all over the floor and give his mother yet another reason to hound him. He needed to focus on something else! _Anything_ else!

Curling into a ball, Eddie moved his thoughts from Hockstetter and his parents to his friends. After all everyone had woken up with some kind of injury though no one had any wounds as serious as Patrick. Were the rest of the losers okay now? How were they coping with all of this? Did they get into as much trouble as he had? (He knew that wasn't very likely knowing his mother.) What had their parents said to them when they got home? He hoped they were all doing okay after this morning's events. As he thought of his friends his mind inevitably began to focus on Richie.

He had looked rather tame compared to everyone else, only sporting a bruised eye and a few small bumps. Shockingly, there were little to no words from the Trashmouth that morning. That was always a rare occurrence but kind of to be expected this time around. They had all had a rough time the night before, a rough time that none of them could even remember.

He saw him go home with Stan since he didn't necessarily have any parents to go home to. Rabbi Uris probably would have claimed him even if Richie's parents had been there anyway and he had every right to. He had been more parent to Richie than those two no-shows ever had. They didn't even know their son...but Richie was practically another son in Rabbi Uris' eyes. Eddie was glad that Richie had at least someone who acknowledged him and considered his well being. He rested a lot easier knowing that his friend wasn't holed up in his own house all alone, waiting for a mother and father that would never come home.

Eddie forced back a yawn as sleep suddenly tugged at him, reaching up to rub at his eyes. It was like a wave had crashed over on his body and filled him with fatigue. It was strange but not unwelcome, after all it had been a really long day. His body was sore and tense from his wounds and a headache slowly but surely crept after him. A good night's sleep was the only cure for whatever affliction had suddenly decided to befall him. He didn't even attempt to fight the advancing darkness surrounding him. Soon his eyes were closed, his breath was evening out and the world of dreams had dug its claws into him.

....................

Patrick made a soft noise of discomfort as he let his eyes flutter open. There was a strange throbbing echoing in his head and he felt like he wasnt exactly present. His body felt numb...

White walls.

That was the first thing that had caught his attention when he opened his eyes. The horrid and blank whiteness of the room and the soft beeping sounds emitting from one of the machines in the room. There was an odd smell of cleanliness lingering through the air and the sinking feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

 _Hospital._ He realized with a deep frown. _I'm in a fucking hospital?_

But why? _How!?_ Just a minute ago he was hanging with the guys and chasing after Derry's least favorite little rodents. The fucking losers. They had been sitting in the Trans Am as Henry smoked a cigarette when suddenly the little shits darted past. Henry, who was bored and looking for something to do, immediately suggested that they give chase. And they did. They chased them all the way through the woods until they reached a cave. It gave Patrick a bad feeling but Henry had run in after the Losers...which of course meant that they had to run in and follow after him.

Then they had...they had...

Patrick frowned almost instantaneously and quickly pushed himself into a sitting position, hissing when his body ached in protest. There weren't a lot of things in the world that managed to get under his skin and actually bother him. Patrick found that there were only two things that he didn't like. Hated with an absolute passion. Not being completely in control of himself and not being able to remember things. Those were the only two things that he couldn't stand and thankfully they didn't happen very often. However...when they did happen he would always get incredibly upset.

And he was about to get incredibly upset.

He couldn't remember a single thing that had happened after they went into that weird cave. That was not a good sign. There were no windows in the small white hospital room he'd been stowed away in. No way to tell what time it was from outside and no clock in sight to tell him the time inside. No way to know when and where he was. It wasn't an ideal situation and neither was the fact that he couldn't remember anything. It was like someone had just decided to randomly erase a part of his brain.

Absolutely nothing.

He couldn't recall anything else. It was weird and a little worrisome. Maybe whatever happened to him was a lot more serious than he thought. What if he had temporary amnesia?

 _ **"That wouldn't be too good Patty."**_ A voice growled soft in his ear. ** _"Amnesia could lead to a coma and anything could happen while you're sleeping. Just ask your little brother Avery..."_**

Patrick nearly jumped out of his skin as a drop of blood fell from the ceiling. As soon as it touched the ground it spread into a sizzling puddle. The lights began to twitch on and off as a child's heinous laughter echoed in his ears.

"What the _fuck_ is going on...?" He muttered, his horrified eyes never leaving the bloody mess on the floor. He watched anxiously and curiously as it sizzled until finally a hand reached through.

A tiny hand.

The hand of an infant baby.

It clawed at the floor, dragging more and more of its body out of the goopy black puddle. Once it head was revealed, it let out another bout of bizarre laughter. The delighted shrieks and giggles shook the entire room as it freed itself of the sizzling puddle. Patrick watched the spectacle in both horror and confusion, trying to move away and finding himself glued to his seat.

With one final bout of wicked laughter the infant had escaped and Patrick was horrified to discover that the baby was in fact his little brother. As the dark blood slowly faded away from his skin it became easier to make out his features. Despite him dying nearly twelve years ago, Avery's little face was still engraved in his mind. They had the same eyes for one, a pair of soft sea green orbs that they had inherited from their mother. While Patrick's cheeks were slim, Avery's were a little rounder and chubby. He had their father's nearly full lips too and even his long nose, just smaller...baby versions.

The baby whimpered before raising its head to stare up and look at him. Patrick felt ice in his veins as he met his little brother's eyes. Avery gave a toothless grin and wiggled around on the floor until a yawn halted him. His tiny little chubby arms reached for the sky before he curled into a little ball on the floor. He was lying on his side, now facing away from Patrick and with each breath he grew quieter and stiller. Was he going to sleep?

 _ **"He was just taking his afternoon nap."**_ The voice from before muttered in his ear. _**"Just like yesterday, and the day before that and the day before that. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a plain ol afternoon nap."**_

Patrick felt a hand close around his forearm but he didn't dare look away from his sleeping infant brother. Another hand snaked its way around his neck and he felt someone's breath against his ear.

 _ **"He was just sleeping peacefully until suddenly it got a little...stuffy.”**_ The voice growled with a sickening laugh.

Green eyes widened as suddenly the grip on his neck suddenly tightened, abruptly cutting off his air. Startled and unable to breathe he tried to jerk away which only made the grip tighten even more. Patrick reached up to try and claw the hand away from his neck but was prevented by the hand on him arm. He tried to call out and scream but all of the sounds he managed to produce were choked down.

_**“Such a tragic little loss of life.”** _

Although he struggled and put up a fight, Patrick still couldn’t break free. All he could do was sit helpless and watch as his baby brother continued to sleep. Although he couldn’t help but notice that Avery had gone completely still.

 _ **“To get taken away so suddenly and with no explanation at all.”**_ The voice murmured softly, chuckling in his ear.

A chill settled in his body and a sudden lightheaded feeling but the hand still refused to ease up. Patrick let his eyes drift open, not surprised when his baby brother’s body was all he could see. His skin now sported an odd greenish yellow hue and his veins were a nasty dark purple. His body slowly twitched and convulsed and the laughter started up again. A baby’s giggle mixed with a heinous cackling that shook the entire room. 

 _“A..Avery?”_ He gasped out.

"Patrick?"

In a flash of motion, Hockstetter turned and found himself staring at his mother. She was seated in a chair beside him, her graying brown hair tied back in a tight bun. She had thrown on one of her casual sun dresses and a pair of flimsy sandals; she'd obviously been in a rush when she had gotten dressed. Her sea green eyes hadn't changed since the last time he saw them; still grief stricken and reddened from her incessant crying. Honestly, Patrick didn't know how she went on that way; crying every single day without rest. The fact that her body still managed to produce tears every day without fail was nothing short of a miracle.

Panicked and confused, the lanky teen brought his hands to his throat and darted his eyes about the room. No dark puddles of blood and no dead babies slowly rotting before his very eyes. Just white. Plain white floor and plain four white walls.

Hospital.

He was alive and in the hospital.

Patrick took a deep breath, relieved and happy to feel the sweet passage of air through his lungs. To his immense horror he could still feel those wretched hands wound tight around his neck, clutching his windpipe and slowly crushing it. With a soft grunt he rubbed at his neck, frowning as his fingers ran over his skin.

"Oh...oh, honey you're awake!" His mother cried with a soft sniffle. She bolted up from her seat and rushed over to him, enveloping her son in a tight embrace. She sobbed into his dark hair, holding him close to her chest.

Patrick let out a loud groan of displeasure and grumbled as she threw her arms around him. He accepted her hugs with a cold and stiff silence, waiting for her to pull away so he could breathe again. He was never a fan of her coddling, especially when she was hysterical which she definitely was at the moment.

"Mom!" He growled after a few minutes when she refused to leave him be.

A tremble raced down his spine at the disgusting state of his own voice. He was clearly in desperate need of a glass of water. His voice was terribly hoarse and had cracked so horribly he could have been mistaken for Stanley Uris. Not exactly something he was proud to say.

Nevertheless, his angry tone had managed to reach his mother and she backed off. She gave him one last peck on the forehead before withdrawing completely and returning to her seat on the other side of the room. Patrick watched her as she moved away, contemplating asking her what happened but he knew that would be pointless. She'd only start up a story, get emotional and start crying all over again and he was in no mood to deal with that. Not right now. His father wasn’t even in the room so there was no getting any answers out of him either. An explanation would just have to wait until he was back with the rest of the guys.

Slowly, Patrick laid back down on the bed and curled onto one side, bringing one arm up so he could rest his head. He had never been a fan of hospitals but there was something about this room that made him uneasy. He stared up at the clock and waited for a doctor or nurse or somebody to come and check on him. The sooner he could escape this room the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this got kinda long...
> 
> hope you enjoyed though :D 
> 
> feedback is always welcome guys!!!!!! <3


	3. Chapter 3

_**"Mike!"** _

Smoke. He knew the familiar smell all too well but there was something different about it this time. The air felt like fire and every breath burned his nostrils before traveling all the way down to his lungs.

He looked around frantically but he already knew exactly where he was. Dread flooded his system as he took in the familiar hallway and the impossibly tall dark wooden door in front of him. Smoke billowed from the corners and sides of the door and underneath there was a chilling orangish hue. As soon as Michael locked eyes with that haunting orange he was trapped in his nightmare once again.

_**"Help us son!"** _

His father's plea echoed in his ears and he choked back a sob as he shivered. Then suddenly there was a terrible scratching sound in front of him. Mike wanted to look away but he couldn't move his eyes. It almost felt like he was completely paralyzed.

Protruding from underneath the door were several hands. They were horribly burned, charred black and mixed with a sickening red. Their nails broke off and bled as they desperately scratched at the ground in an effort to escape.

_**"Mike, baby open the door!"** _

A small sob escaped Mike as he stared at the burned hands in front of him. They were still clawing at the ground and the sound of the scratching was making Mike go insane. Despite his want to open the door and free them...he just couldn't move. It was as if no amount of effort he couldn't find a way to will himself to _move._

_**"Baby, please!"** _

Mike sucked in a breath and felt himself shiver. He knew that voice. That was his mother's voice; shaking, desperate and pleading with him to open the door...

 _ **"Mike!"**_ His father shouted. _**"Michael please!"**_

Tears blurred his vision and he held back in a sob. He knew this dream...he knew exactly how it ended. They didn't get out and they didn't get out because of him.

Because he couldn't open the door.

He couldn't get them out.

He couldn't save them.

_**"MIKE!"** _

Before he could even register that the voice that had called his name wasn't familiar to him, a hand wrapped around his throat. He made a choked sound before his feet left the ground and he was left dangling completely  helpless. Although this wasn't the time for jokes or humor of any kind, he couldn't help but compare this to one of those rubber chickens in the cartoons.

His hand reached up to claw away the grip on his throat. It was incredibly uncomfortable, not enough to the point that he couldn't breathe but awful close. Unfortunately, his strength was no match for whoever or whatever had him trapped.

 _"Careful Mikey."_ A voice, chilling but also playful and cheery, whispered in his ear. _"Wouldn't want to get a boat in between your eyes."_

And then the pain came. Searing and burning down his left arm. He looked down and saw blood leaking from a familiar looking quarter sized hole in his arm. The same one he saw planted in between the eyes of countless unfortunate sheep.

_"Mike!"_

With a startled and alarmed scream the young boy bolted upright, eyes wildly darting around the room. His room. A nice little room with warm brown walls, countless books sitting neatly on his bookcase. His closet that had clothes messily sticking out and thrown around.

His grandmother sat on the edge of his bed, her light caramel brown eyes filled with worry. She could tell something was wrong and Mike was definitely not helping his own case by his sweating and panting.

"Honey, are you okay?" She asked.

Quickly, Mike turned his eyes to the ground with a gentle nod. He didn't want to talk about it. Wasn't quite certain why yet but there was something about this nightmare...it was different. Stranger. More real. Made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up not to mention they chilled his blood and nearly gave him several heart attacks.

"I-I'm okay." He insisted softly, trying to ignore how much he sounded like Bill because of the stutter.

 _No, you're not._ His grandmother's voice flew through the air and it was filled to the brim with worry. She clearly didn't believe him.

"What?" Mike murmured, finally turning his head to get a glimpse of her. Her graying dark hair was braided like a crown around her head. She had on the brown sweater that Mike loved. It always smelled like walnuts. There were the faintest traces of neutral colored makeup on her face and she had on a few pieces of diamond and beaded jewelry.

She simply blinked in confusion. "What sweetheart?"

"Didn't you just say something?" Mike asked, unsure of why she was so confused. Surely she had said something right?

"No, honey I didn't say anything. C'mon let's get you up and have a little breakfast." She replied, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

A faint smile tugged at his lips and he nodded. "Okay grams, I'll be down in a minute."

With a gentle pat on his leg, she was up and out the door. Mike was grateful that she shut it behind her because that meant he could break face. He frowned and pulled himself out of bed to stretch. Something weird was going on he could feel it in his bones.

He wasn't crazy. He heard his grandmother speak, it was as clear as day...but she claimed that she didn't. His grandmother wouldn't just mess with him like that... _would she?_

"No, no of course she wouldn't." Mike grumbled, turning to his closet to pick out an outfit. He would figure this out but first...breakfast, then chores and then a meet up with his friends at the quarry.

It had been a week since the little incident mat the cave and things were slowly going back to normal. Everyone was still a little shaken up but the more they saw each other the less stress they felt about it. They hadn’t actually figured out what had happened inside those caves but it was nice to at least have someone to talk about it with. As much as Mike loved his grandparents, they weren’t always the easiest people to talk to.

“Michael, hurry up now or your breakfast will get cold!” His grandmother called suddenly.

“I’m coming!” He shouted back, quickly searching through his closet for something to wear for the day.

.........................

“I’m just saying. I mean seriously, you guys don’t feel anything weird going on lately?”

Henry rolled his eyes at Vic’s question. He had been hinting at something ever since they picked him up. Bowers stuck his hand out of the car window to feel the wind thread through his fingers. “You wanna talk about weird? Wait until you get a load of Hockstetter.” He grumbled, his frown gradually deepening. “Guy’s been acting like a basket case ever since he got home from the hospital.”

“Give him a break.” Belch chastised, punching his friend lightly on the thigh. “Doctor said he could have brain damage.”

“How do you know?” Henry demanded, punching his arm in return.

Belch cast him a soft glare but Henry could tell he didn’t mean anything by it. “My mom spent the day with Mrs. Hockstetter the day they brought him home. The doctor told Patrick’s parents that it’s possible he might have a little brain damage from his wound, so give him a goddamn break.”

Henry scoffed and folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the car door to look out the window. “Whatever.”

Now it was a Belch’s turn to roll his eyes. He loved Henry but damn his ‘I don’t give a fuck about any of you’ routine was pretty stale. “Fuck you Bowers. Everyone knows you have a soft spot for Patrick and you’re only pretending that you don’t care.”

Red flooded the hotheaded teen’s cheeks and he bolted upright. “Shut the fuck up _Reginald!”_

“Eat me.”

As the two engaged in an angry shouting match, Vic scoffed and turned his attention to the window. He watched as they passed through a familiar quiet suburb. They were getting close to Patrick’s house and Vic felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t seen much of his friends since the cave incident...well he hadn’t seen much of Henry and Patrick. He saw Blech practically every day but on the rare occasion that he did happen to run into Henry, he would tell him that there was something wrong with Patrick.

“He’s acting weird and I don’t think he’s fucking sleeping either.” Henry grouches almost as if Patrick was an inconvenience to him for it. “I mean Christ, he even looks like a goddamn wreck.”

Vic could tell that Henry was worried about their friend but was trying to play it off. It was no secret to anyone that he had a weird... _thing_ going with Hockstetter. Not exactly romantic but not entirely platonic either, some kind of weird and very confusing disaster in between.

“Vic!”

The bleach blonde snapped out of his trance and looked up to see an irritated Henry glaring down at him. He had stepped out of the Trans Am and was leaning down to look at him.

“Come the fuck on dipshit, we’re here.”

....................

Patrick sighed as he made his way downstairs. His fingers lazily thread through his hair, still damp from his shower. The house was oddly quiet which meant his parents weren’t home, something he was incredibly thankful for. He couldn’t take another second of his mom’s worried poking and prodding.

A yawn tugged at his lips and he stretched when he reached the bottom of the steps. He walked into the kitchen, ignoring his stomach’s growling and searched the fridge and pantry for food. He settled for a yogurt and a few blueberries, kicking the fridge shut and walking into the living room. As he dumped the blueberries in his yogurt he felt like someone was watching him. Slowly, his steps halted and he turned over his shoulder to see if anyone was there.

_No one was._

Suspicious but determined to eat, Patrick made his way into the living room. He plopped down in his father’s favorite chair and kicked up the leg rest. With a deep exhale, he lifted a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth. He was waiting for his friends to come and pick him up since today was an ideal day to hang out. A little time had passed since the caves, not enough for his injury to heal completely, but enough for everyone to start moving on.

Patrick maneuvered another spoonful into his mouth when he heard a faint chuckle. Immediately, he whipped his head around to find the source but there was no one there. Slowly, he placed his yogurt on the coffee table nearby and lifted himself to his feet.

“Who’s there?” He demanded, eyeing the long corridor leading into the kitchen and the dining room across the hall. He didn’t like how damsely that question made him feel, almost like he was some bimbo in a slasher film. There was no one in sight.

Patrick was just about to chalk it up to hallucinations from lack of sleep and get back to his yogurt when he felt something gooey and wet fall onto his arm. He looked down and froze in complete and utter terror when he noticed a small little blob wriggling around on his skin. It was black and slick with slime and it wriggled slowly on his flesh.

A horrified scream left Patrick as realization dawned on him. It was a fucking leech! He had only ever encountered a leech one time in his life. His family had taken a summer trip to the lake when he was nine and he had gone swimming with his father. When he got out of the water his legs were covered in slimy little leeches and Patrick had screamed himself hoarse by the time his father managed to get them all off of him.

He didn’t do leeches.

Patrick stumbled backward, hissing in pain as the leech sucked on his skin. His breathing increased rapidly as he looked at the parasite on him and with a shaky breath he gripped it and ripped it away. A shocked and pained gasp left the teen as the leech was removed, revealing a dime size hole on his arm.

“Ow, fuck!” He cried, tossing the leech away from him towards the kitchen.

With shaky hands he covered the bleeding wound, wincing as it stung mercilessly. Patrick moved to go towards the stairs when another leech suddenly fell onto his left hand. Panicked and stunned, he slapped it away only for another to fall on his right.

“What the _FUCK!?”_ He screamed as he smacked that one off of him.

His head darted up and ice spread through his veins. Dangling from the ceiling was an army of leeches. Suppressing a sickened cry, Patrick quickly tried to dart back into the kitchen for cover. Unfortunately, his father’s chair chose that exact moment to get in his way. He tripped over the leg rest and crashed to the ground, knocking over one of his mother’s antique lampshades. It shattered on the ground below, sending tiny fragments of glass across the floor.

Wide green eyes looked up at the ceiling just in time to see several leeches fall from their place on the ceiling. Patrick raised his hands in an effort to cover his face and neck, squeezing his eyes shut as he waited for the sickening feeling of leeches on his skin.

To his immense surprise (and relief) it never came.

Slowly, Patrick let his eyes open and he sucked in a shocked breath. The leeches had fallen but somehow they had gotten... _stuck?_ They dangled impossibly still in the air...almost as if they were frozen, like time had just _stopped._

Confused but eager to escape, the lanky teen scrambled into the kitchen and crashed right into his friends. They were all knocked back by the force of the collision and they crashed onto the floor in a heap of tangled limbs.

“What the fuck are you guys doing!?” Patrick yelled, harshly shoving Belch’s arm away from his chest.

“Saving your ass!” Henry barked, climbing to his feet with an annoyed scowl. “We just pulled up outside and heard you scream you fucking wuss.”

“At least I didn’t fucking piss myself.”

Henry practically launched himself at Patrick only to have Belch grab him and hold him back. “Stop.” The larger teen huffed, shoving Henry backwards. “Why were you screaming Patrick?”

“Leeches.” Hockstetter breathed out, shivering violently as he looked back towards the living room. The leeches were gone now, which didn’t surprise him. Nothing he saw seemed to be real these days.

He scoffed when all three of his friends gave him confused and skeptical looks. “There **were** leeches in the living room, I fucking _swear._ I _saw_ them.Look one of them left a fucking hole in my...”

Patrick’s voice trailed off as he held up his arm, the wound from the earlier attack nowhere to be seen. He shook his head in disbelief, looking back at his friends, who looked worried for his very sanity.

“No, they were here. I _saw-”_

“Jesus fuck Patrick when was the last time you slept?” Belch asked, shaking his head.

Sea green eyes lowered and Patrick rose to his feet. It was a useless battle. They wouldn’t believe him. Not with the way he was acting, hell he didn’t even know if he believed himself right now. What if he had just imagined the whole thing? It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened. It was baby Avery in the hospital all over again.

“Fuck you Belch.” He sighed, pushing past him and heading towards the door. “Come on, let’s just get the fuck out of here.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to try and see if I can get some kind of update schedule for this fic... 
> 
> Maybe update every Thursday? Maybe update every Tuesday? 
> 
> I don’t know. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter though!!! Please let me know what you think !!!!


	4. Chapter 4

_Music._

Just a dark and dim room filled with the soft sound of music. It sounded like a flute from what Stan could tell but he wasn't really big on any instrument that wasn't the piano.

Stan felt his stomach drop as suddenly the familiarity of the room he was standing in dawned on him. He had been spending a lot of time in this particular room lately; whether it was practicing his speech with his father or just doing his homework while his father wrapped up so they could go home. His father's office in the synagogue would have been a second to him...

_if it weren't for that goddamn painting._

That horrid and grotesque painting that his father had hung on the wall in his office. The ugly old thing looked a couple centuries old, probably could have made a museum if it didn't look the stuff of nightmares. It was a portrait of a strange and inhuman looking woman holding a flute.

She was an odd misshapen head, long and thin like someone had squished her head inward and then tugged her skull upward. Her eyes were blank and void of pupils, an inhuman milky white. Her thin lips were pursed and a dark brownish color. Craters were left in the thin skin of her cheeks, now whether that was just apart of the painting or a tell tale sign of the painting's aging Stan couldn't say. Nevertheless it added to her creepy and haunting visage.

Stan always felt sick when he looked at that awful painting. He honestly wished his father would get rid of the wretched thing but it remained in his study. If it weren't for that nightmarish artwork Stan would feel at ease every time he stepped into the synagogue. His father’s office might have even become a safe haven for him but no such luck.

Blue eyes lifted from his father's desk and Stan immediately paled. Staring back at him was the horrid woman in the painting, only now...she was **_real._** She was no longer a terrible work of art but a living and breathing thing, her milky white eyes blinking with a terrifying curiosity. The hag was enormously tall, practically dwarfing Stan. Her dress billowed unnaturally, almost as if there was a breeze flowing in the air that was lifting and twisting her skirt. But there was no breeze in the small room.

Shivers raced through the young preteen and he took a step back, a decision that he would immediately come to regret. As soon as he moved her dark and thin lips spread in a grotesque and playful grin, revealing two rows of sharp and jagged teeth. Teeth that oddly reminded Stan of shark teeth he'd seen in some of the library books at their school.

Stan was panting now, panic flooding his system as he faced the ghoul that haunted his dreams. He took another step back despite himself and this time she moved with him. Instinctively, Stan jumped back and she almost launched forward. A broken sob left him as he realized that she would follow him no matter what move he made. Tears were flowing freely from his eyes now and he stumbled backwards again, this time stumbling over something unsee and fell flat on his ass.

A wicked laugh escaped the painting lady, echoing unnaturally throughout the room. She moved closer, her jaw elongating dangerously and she raised a clawed hand in his direction.

Stan flinched violently, squeezing his eyes closed. "No!" He exclaimed.

Another echoing sound pierced the air but it was one of shock and even pain followed by a crash. Confused and curious, Stan let his eyes open and found a surprising sight waiting for him. The woman had been thrown to the opposite side of the room, colliding with his father's bookcase.

Shocked and now furious, the lifted herself off the floor and turned back to her target. Stan, scrambled backwards as she advanced once again. Instinctively he raised his hand up defensively and to his immense shock one of his father's chairs flung upward and collided with the old hag.

Blue eyes widened and Stan stared at his own hand as if it were some strange new appendage. " Wha... _what the..."_

He had no time to recover from the strange new revelation as a disturbing laugh hit the air. Stan looked up to see that the painting woman was no longer there, standing in her place was a... _clown?_

A freakishly tall clown dressed all in white stood staring down at him with bright golden eyes. His mouth was spread in a wide green, revealing sharp blood stained teeth.

 _"Hi-ya Stanley."_ He mused, his voice surprisingly pleasant and friendly. _"You don't look too good. Do you want a balloon?"_

Stan couldn't do anything but stare helplessly at the strange creature. He trembled as he returned the bright glowing stare directed at him. Without warning the clown took a step forward and Stan moved his other hand forward, praying that whatever happened before would happen again.

His wishing proved fruitful because his father's lamp flew up and struck the clown dead in the face. He was knocked backward and slammed into the wall opposite, giving a wide eyed look at Stanley. His surprise quickly melted into a grin and he huffed out a jolly bout of chuckles.

 _"Don't think you that can save you."_ The clown cheerfully mused though his glowing eyes held something far more sinister. Those glowing golden orbs seemed to burn brighter as a grin spread across the clown’s lips. **_"Any of you."_**

With a strange electric shock, Stan suddenly found himself awake in his bedroom. He was surprised to find himself unbearably hot; his skin was shining with sweat and his breath was coming in rapid pants. Quickly, he threw his covers away from his body and crawled out of bed. Yawning and knucking his eyes, Stan moved over to the window on the opposite wall. He lifted the latch so he could open the window and stick his head outside. A soft sigh of relief left him as a cool morning breeze blew into the room, chilling his feverish skin.

Better. He thought in sweet blissful relief. So much better.

"Stanley?"

Blue eyes flew open and Stan looked down and found Bill and Richie staring back at him. His cheeks flushed and he retreated back into his room a bit.

"What are you guys doing here?" He called, trying to stay quiet just in case his parents were still asleep.

"We're going down to the quarry today, remember?" Richie answered.

Damn, that’s right. He thought.

“Aw, don't tell you forgot Stan-the-Man!"

Stan rolled his eyes at Richie’s teasing and turned back to look at his closet. "I'll be down in a minute!" He assured them, bolting away from the window in search of something to wear.

He stumbled to his feet and made his way to his closet. As he reached for the door knob, the door flew open with enough force to nearly throw it right off its hinges. Stan let out a surprised shriek and tugged his hand back, which sent a couple dozen of his shirts flying out of the closet to the opposite side of the room.

"Stan?" Richie called from outside. "You okay in there?"

"Fuck..." Stanley mumbled as he stared at his trembling hands in complete disbelief.

He turned back to the window, walking over and glancing down at his two friends. Their expressions fell when they saw his face and Stanley knew that there must have been a spooked expression on it.

"I..I think you guys need to come in here..."

Bill's lips twitched in a frown and his eyes were shining with worry. "What? Wh-why? What's wr-wr-wrong?"

Stan shook his head. He wouldn't be able to explain like this...he wasn't sure of he would be able to explain any of this to his friends at all.

"Just...just get in here."

.......................

"Patrick seriously!"

"Drop it Vic, fuck!"

Henry glared at his friends as they bickered from his seat on the couch. Patrick and Belch were cleaning the remnants of Patrick's breakfast which he had spilled onto the living room carpet. Vic was on the far side of the room, looking through Mrs. Hockstetter's decorative cabinet of glass figurines.

The bleach blonde sighed at Hockstetter's response and turned to cast an angry and irritated glare at him.

"I'm just saying-"

"And I'm just saying to fucking drop it already." The brunette all but snapped. "God, are you gonna nag at me like my mom and fucking sob in my face too?"

 _"Patrick."_ Belch warned, looking at him from over his shoulder.

The brunette sighed and turned away to glare at the kitchen. Henry watched him with lowered eyes. It was clear to everyone that Patrick was off (more off than usual that is) and why wouldn't he be? The boy hadn't slept in a week.

Bowers watched the boy's tall and lanky frame, noticing how his shoulders trembled after a few exhales. He definitely wasn't himself and it all started with whatever happened in that stupid fucking cave. Henry bit back an annoyed snarl.

They should have never gone inside that stupid cave.

"Hurry the fuck up." Henry suddenly barked, glaring at the carpet in front of him. "I want to get out of this depressing ass house."

As if second nature Patrick held up a middle finger that Belch quickly tugged back down. "We already finished Henry, we just need to throw out the rest of the trash. Why are you in such a rush to leave all of a sudden?" He inquired, pulling himself to his feet with a little help from Patrick.

Henry scoffed. "You're the one that said we had shit to do and even went and made a fucking to-do list for said shit."

Patrick snorted, turning to the larger teen with an intrigued smirk. _"Seriously?"_

"Fuck off it helps."

"Whatever, I'm with Henry. Let's get the fuck out of here before some tragedy befalls us like my parents deciding to show up for God only knows what reason." Patrick breathed out, rising to his feet and heading over to the door a little too quickly.

“Do you really have to be so mean to them all the time?” Vic asked breathlessly. He never did understand Patrick’s... _aversion_ to his parents. (He would have called it hatred but he didn’t believe Patrick actually hated his parents. No matter how many times he insisted that he couldn’t stand them.)

“Try living with them.” Was the soft and annoyed response he got.

Henry was on his feet in seconds, quickly following after Patrick while Belch and Vic followed after him. Once Belch tossed the garbage into the trash bin, the four boys stepped outside and headed towards the car. As they were walking, Henry carefully grabbed a hold of Patrick's wrist and pulled him back towards him. He slowed their steps until Belch and Vic were a little ahead of them, far enough to not be within earshot. Henry felt Patrick's sea green eyes on him as they were walking but he refused to return the glance.

"So what, you're just gonna lure me to the back of the pack so you can ignore me?" Hockstetter growled, the irritation obvious in his tone.

That got enough of a rise out of the other, who huffed in response and crossed his arms. "What the hell's going on with you?"

Patrick scoffed and shook his head, a betrayed smile tugging at his lips. _"Et tu, Brute?"_

"For fuck's sake." Henry breathed out, shaking his head with a grimace. "Spare me the fucking theatrics."

"Bite me Bowers."

Henry held out his arm, halting both of their steps. "Look, we're just...you've been acting weird as hell.”

Green eyes rolled and Patrick crossed his arms. "Okay, that’s you guys’ theme song for today did you notice?!” He growled as quietly as possible. “Christ, so what is else fucking new?"

"Patrick-"

"Look!" The lanky teen nearly shout, his voice loud enough to make Henry jump. Luckily for the pair Belch and Vic made no indication that they heard the heated discussion going on. "Just...leave it alright? For fuck's sake I'm fine."

"Obviously."

"Goddammit Henry!” Patrick shouted suddenly, his anger finally seeping through. “Would you **PLEASE-”**

A loud popping sound went off followed by the rustling of leaves and a rough thud. In the heat of the moment Henry had tackled Patrick to the ground to shield him and Belch stood protectively in front of Vic. All eyes were wide as the four searched around for the source of whatever had just happened. The only thing to be found was a thick tree branch that fallen, sizzling and smoking on one end like it had been lit on fire.

"What...what the _hell?"_ Vic panted, staring at the branch before looking up and finding the tree it had fallen from. There was a sizzling pool of black on the area it had been blown from and with a confused frown, he turned back to his friends. "H-How the fuck did that-"

Henry scrambled to his feet, anxiously looking up at the smoking tree. "Don't know, don't really fucking care. Let's just get out of here before some other shit blows up."

Patrick nodded in agreement and crawled back onto his feet with a grunt. He looked up at the blast marks with a confused frown. What could have even done that?

_And why did it just happen out of the blue like that?_

His green eyes moved up to the tree, staring intently almost as if he believed he would get an answer eventually. Slowly, his steps halted and he was just staring up at the tree. He frowned as he heard the sickening laugh that haunted him every once in a while ring in his ears. Instinctively, he turned to investigate the noise but like always there was nothing to be found. Despite himself, Patrick still turned to his friends to see if they had heard the laughing too but they were still focused on Belch’s car.

They were still walking ahead, clearly unphased and unbothered. Belch had finally reached the car along with Vic and Henry was just about there. His sudden stature like posture soon caught the attention of Belch, who immediately frowned when they locked eyes.

"Patrick?" He called. "Are you comin or what?"

His question prompted Henry to turn around and look at him, an instant and inescapable guilt trap. Henry had a weird pair of eyes. They could be stone cold and emotionless or they could be...oddly soft and extremely vulnerable. They went from fiery and furious to kicked puppy in the blink of an eye. It was a trait that unintentionally got under Patrick's skin sometimes but he knew it wasn’t Henry’s fault. He was doing it on purpose, hell he probably doesn’t even realize when he’s doing it. Nevertheless, Patrick was no match for those big blue eyes.

Suddenly, Henry’s eyes were ice cold again and he cast him a fairly annoyed glare. “Patrick, will you come the fuck on already.” He snapped.

That seemed to spark some kind of fire in the lanky teen because he started moving again. He moved with a little haste to rejoin his friends, ignoring Henry’s angry facade.

“Yeah whatever I’m coming. Henry, I’m assuming you’re riding shotgun like fucking always so let me get in the car fir-”

What happened next none of the boys would ever be able to explain. Patrick reached forward to grab onto the door handle and suddenly it was like someone had tossed an explosive. There was a loud **BOOM!** Not loud enough to leave them deaf but loud enough to at least leave their ears ringing. Patrick and his lanky frame stood no chance against the blast and he was thrown backwards, slamming into Henry. They crashed to the ground with several grunts and swears.

Belch and Vic, who were on the opposite side of the car were stunned into silence. For a moment they stood still like statues, gawking in disbelief at the spectacle they had just witnessed. When Patrick and Henry were tossed to the ground however they snapped out their trances and rushed to help.

“What the fucking shit was that!?” Vic exclaimed as he helped Henry to his feet.

“Are you in the habit of planting land mines and bombs all around your yard!?” Belch nearly demanded as he went to help Patrick up. “Seriously what the fuck Patrick?”

Despite the severity of the current situation, Patrick couldn’t help but crack a grin as Belch helped him up. Vic had an odd habit of forgetting how to swear properly when he was alarmed and confused. It was one of the dumbest yet most adorable things he had ever seen.

“Why do you instantly assume it had something to do with me?” He asked, feigning a hurt look at Belch.

“Because you’re a fucking pyro.” Vic chimed in.

“So, I light shit on fire in my backyard! That doesn’t mean I go around planting fucking land mines in the front yard! Besides I’m the one who practically got blown up not you!”

“Who fucking cares, let’s just get the fuck out of here before we really do get blown up.” Henry replied, his eyes anxiously going back and forth between Patrick and the car.

Something...wasn’t right here but Belch was certainly on the right track in Henry’s mind. Whatever happened did have something to do with Patrick but it wasn’t land mines or bombs. It was just... _Patrick._ First a branch gets blown right off a tree just as Patrick gets well and truly angry with him and now this. Granted, Henry wasn’t quite sure what triggered the explosion this time seeing as how Patrick didn’t do anything except reach for the car door. Still it was quite clear to him that Patrick was doing it...he just didn’t know how and from the looks of it neither did Patrick. 

As they all started walking towards the car again, Henry eyed the lanky teen’s hands. It took all of his strength to fight back the strong urge to grip Patrick’s wrists and hold his hands down. They didn’t need anymore explosions. Thankfully for them all Belch seemed to have a hunch that something would happen if Patrick tried to open the door again so he did it for him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Patrick...he’s getting the worst of IT so far. (But let’s be honest he kinda deserves it.) Just wanted to clarify that I’m going off the 2017 movie Bowers Gang not the book. My point is Patrick is not a murdering psychopath in this story he’s just an asshole that lowkey has feelings. 
> 
> And I’m thinking about updating this story every Sunday? Or maybe Saturday? Not quite sure yet but I’ll figure it out soon!!! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading guys <3
> 
> Let me know what you think!!!! :D


	5. Chapter 5

_You want my love and you can't deny._

_You know it's true but you try to hide._

A soothed smile found its way onto Beverly's face as she rocked steadily to the beat of the song. Earth, Wind and Fire. One of her favorite groups and this song was definitely one she enjoyed and one she found another loser enjoyed too.

_You turn down love like it's really bad._

_You can't give what you never had, yeah._

Her smiles soon turned to giggles as Beverly slowly found the strength to open her eyes. Amazement and wonder soon took over as she found herself at the quarry with the rest of the losers. They had only met just a week ago after they were all targeted by the Bowers Gang but the bond already felt so...solid. Firm. Unshakeable even. It was like they had known each other their entire lives and Beverly cherished that. She had never truly known a bond that wasn't painful.

Her eyes looked over every loser. Eddie, who was engaged in a back and forth with Richie. Stan and Ben were looking through one of the books Ben had in his backpack, no doubt another token from the library. Bill was sitting in between the two pairs looking off into the water, a small but serene smile on his face. Unfortunately, Beverly couldn't find Mike which made her smile dim down.

Her despair didn't last long because almost immediately after she noticed Mike's absence there was a strong and familiar grip around her. Mike's hands were easily identified as he was just a little bit bigger than all of the other boys. A fact that wasn't altogether obvious because most of the time Mike shrunk inward to make himself seem smaller.

_Well bless your soul, you can you fool a few._

_I know the truth now so do you._

Beverly's smile returned as the song's lyrics began playing in her ears once again. She gasped softly as she found herself staring Mike in the face. They were much closer than usual, in fact much to Beverly's obvious chagrin, they were...dancing? Mike's right hand held her hip and her right hand gripped his shoulder. Their left hands were clasped together and they were swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song.

Another giggle left the redhead as she realized Mike was soulfully mouthing the words as they swayed together. He looked kind of ridiculous and silly but he was having fun and that was all that mattered. His mouthing almost seemed infectious because the longer Beverly watched him the more she wanted to join in.

Suddenly, Mike cast her a sweet smile that made her cheeks burn and flush pink. He was easily one of the most handsome boys Beverly had ever seen. With his beautifully soft brown eyes and charming pearly white smile. She chuckled as the song continued and Mike started his lip syncing once again.

As the music took over, Beverly found it more and more difficult to keep her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to keep them open, they wouldn't obey. It was like the song and Mike's warm embrace were lulling her to sleep. The more they swayed the more fatigued she felt but she couldn't find the strength to stop dancing. The music was simply intoxicating and overwhelmingly so. Soon Beverly found herself nodding off against Mike's shoulder, her face nuzzled into the crevice of his neck. Both of her arms were wrapped around his neck now and both of his hands held her hips. They were still rocking to the rhythm of Can't Hide Love, smiles tugging at both their lips.

Beverly gasped softly as suddenly a sensation of warmth pooled in her hands before spreading up her arms and to her chest. It was like her whole body fallen asleep and it sent a tingling feeling throughout her body. Confused but pleasantly surprised, she looked up at Mike to see if he felt it too. As always there was a sweet smile on his face but he was also watching her with a little concern.

_"Are you okay?"_

Beverly wasn't altogether sure if Mike had actually spoken or if he had just mouthed the words. She wasn't quite sure why he would do the latter but nevertheless when he spoke no sound came out. It was almost as if the music was so loud now that it was actually drowning out their voices. Luckily for the two of them, Beverly could still read lips fairly well.

She nodded in response to his question, giving him a bright and confident smile. Her hands and chest still felt a little tingly and she unintentionally gripped his hand a little tighter. An embarrassed smile tugged at her lips when she heard Mike gasp softly. She moved back to apologize, thinking she gripped his hand a little too tight and had hurt him, but he didn't look in pain...he just looked quite shocked.

Curious and confused, Beverly followed his gaze and looked at their intertwined hands. Almost instantly she understood Mike's shocked expression because their hands were...glowing. A strangely beautiful cloud surrounded them, beginning with their hands and spreading all the way to their chests. Beverly had never seen so many sparkling things in her life but it was quite a gorgeous sight, breathtaking almost.

"Mike...is that you?" Beverly asked, looking up at him with amazed eyes only to find he was giving her the same look.

"No, Beverly...I think it's _you."_

"Me?" The redhead just about choked. She shook her head quickly in disbelief. No, it couldn't be. "I..I can't h-how-"

"It is, it is you. Beverly you're doing this I can...sense it."

Beverly frowned as Mike's voice began to falter, looking up to see what was wrong. His eyes were wide now and he was staring down at the ground, it was like someone had just delivered terrible news and shattered his entire mood. Gently, she moved the hand resting on his shoulder to caress his cheek.

"Mike? Are you okay?"

"I felt it."

"Felt what?"

"I don't know, I just felt... _you._ It doesn't make any sense but...I felt you. Your heart just jumped and... _I felt it."_

Green eyes widened a fraction and Beverly returned her hand to his shoulder to steady herself. He was right. In her confused excitement about the slowly dwindling cloud of glitter and stardust her heart had leapt a little in her chest. But how...? How could he possibly know that?

"Mike...how could you have known that?" She murmured.

"I don't know I just...I felt it too." Mike whispered back, shivering gently. He was trying his hardest to smile but it was faltering as he tried to solve this new mystery they uncovered. Unfortunately, by the looks of it he wasn't having much luck.

"Don't worry Mike, it's okay we can-"

**_Thump!_ **

Beverly froze as the strange sound echoed in her ears. She turned back to Mike and saw him mouth a few words, once again his voice drowned out. She could see the concern in his warm brown eyes but all she could do was nod helplessly. Her body wasn't listening to her anymore.

_**Thump! Thump!** _

This time the sounds are much louder, so much so that they shook the ground. Beverly looked up at to find Mike but he was gone and so were the rest of the losers. She now stood alone at the bottom of the quarry, the only sign of life being her boots that she had discarded by a log and her bike in the distance.

Just as Beverly was about to move to retrieve her shoes, she noticed a silhouette standing off in the distance. It was inhumanely tall and slender, a menacing figure with glowing golden eyes. She frowned in confusion and felt the familiar sensation of fear pooling in her stomach.

_Something wasn't right..._

_**THWACK!** _

Beverly bolted up in bed, coming to with a shocked gasp. Her eyes immediately moved over to the window, where the sound had emitted from. For a moment she sat frozen in bed, her eyes never leaving the window. Finally, her patience proved fruitful because moments later a pebble flew up and bounced off her window.

_**Thump!** _

Quickly, Beverly climbed out of her bed and raced to her window, tugging it open. She climbed out onto the fire escape and felt her lips tug in a smile.

Waiting below were three of her six favorite boys. A sea of pink spread across her cheeks as she noticed Mike was among them, remembering tiny bits of her previous dream. Eddie was there too, looking up at her with his big brown eyes. Finally, there was Ben which made her smile spread into a grin. There was a kind smile on his face like always and he waved up at her.

"Hey, Beverly!" He called. "We still going to the quarry today?"

The redhead turned away and mumbled a curse. That's right, they had agreed to meet at the quarry today! With a smile, she looked back at them and nodded quickly. "Uh...yeah! Just let me get dressed, I'll be right down!"

......................

Something weird was definitely going on. Henry could feel it in his bones...and on his skin. It was coming in waves of heat, an intense burning feeling in his skin in addition to the sun's hot rays on his skin. He was sweating like a sinner in church and there was nothing they could do about it.

"For _fuck's sake_ Belch!" Henry hollered angrily. "Give me the fucking ice cream before I melt into a goddamn puddle in your seat!"

"Ugh, alright. Jesus Christ, here."

Patrick giggled as he watched the spectacle from the backseat. He leaned over so his head rested in Vic's lap, flashing a smile when he started playing with his hair. He reached forward and brushed his hand against Henry's sweaty cheek, chuckling when the other recoiled and slapped his hand away.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Patrick teased with a snort.

"It's _**not**_ fucking funny." Henry growled. "I'm fucking burning up. It feels like someone is setting me on fire from the inside and I _can't stand it!"_

"Eat your fucking ice cream then." Belch replied lazily, nudging the arm holding his ice cream closer to him.

"Something weird is going on." Vic said softly as he ran his fingers through Patrick's hair, being wary of the small bump that remained from his injury.

"No shit." Bowers growled, biting the tip of his ice cream.

Belch sent him a warning look. "Don't be an ass Henry, it's not our fault you're suddenly on fire for god only knows what reason."

"Look, I'm just saying." Vic continued. "First Patrick starts blowing shit up in his front yard-"

"That wasn't me."

The blonde gave the dark haired teen a skeptical frown. "Okay but are you sure about that? I mean are you _really_ sure?"

"Are you _honestly_ going to sit there and tell me you **_actually_** believe I planted fucking **land mines** in my own goddamn yard?"

Vic rolled his eyes with an annoyed huff. "That's not what I meant dumbass! Of course that's not what I think happened."

"So what do you think happened?" Belch inquired, turning to look at him.

"I...I don't know." The blonde admit, his face faltering for a second.

"Great." Henry growled as he quickly stuffed his face with ice cream. "Back to fucking square one!"

"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything!"

"Ignore him Vic, he's just mad because his menopause is giving him heat waves." Patrick teased, poking the fat of Henry's cheeks.

He slapped his bony hands away with an annoyed swear, taking another gigantic chunk out of his ice cream. "Fuck you Hockstetter!"

"I think Vic is right." Belch suddenly replied, beating a random beat against the steering wheel. "There _is_ something weird going on and I think Patrick does have something to do with it."

The lanky teen sighed in annoyance. "Thanks Belch, you're a peach."

"I'm not saying this is your fault. I'm just saying that whatever is going on you're apart of it."

"Well then you should be too." Patrick cut in angrily, sitting up to glare at Belch. "We all know this shit started in those fucking caves and we also know that _all_ of us went in there. Not just me."

"Alright, fucking hell." The larger teen sighed.

"Regardless, we need to figure out what's going on." Vic stated quickly.

"Yes and we should do it preferably before I burn to a fucking crisp." Henry nearly screeched, devouring what little ice cream remained and the cone along with it.

" _Christ,_ Henry what the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" Patrick demanded, watching him with widened sea green eyes. He was starting to freak him out a little and that was never a good sign. You know things were bad if Patrick Hockstetter of all people was nervous.

"I don't know!" The mullet wearing teen shouted. "I'm just **so fucking _HOT!"_**

And just like that there was another unexplainable phenomenon. Henry had gotten so hot that his entire face had flushed a deep red. His breathing was so labored he could have been mistaken for a pregnant woman in labor. Steam puffed out of his mouth as he screamed out those last few words but when the word **HOT** belted from his mouth so did a stream of _fire!_ An _actual_ long and raging stream of flames that nearly damaged the windshield, luckily when Henry ran out of breath he also ran out of flames.

Belch nearly shit his pants from the impossible reality unfolding in front of him but he had no time to even panic about Henry. Patrick had witnessed Bowers' sudden fire breathing too and in his haste to sit up he must have tossed his hands again because another small explosion went off in the backseat, leaving everyone half deaf. Vic let out a shocked shriek as his ears were left ringing from Patrick and Belch had...vanished. Literally vanished. He was gone. With a soft breeze he vanished into a cloud of smoke and in his place was a chirping black bird, buzzing around in the driver seat. Henry, Patrick and Vic watched with disbelief, shock and horror as the bird chirped around for a few moments before vanishing. Belch returned in its place and he stared ahead at the driver's wheel in shock.

His entire body was trembling and he fought to regain his composure. Slowly, he turned to see all of his friends staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uh...so...did that just happen?" He asked softly.

"What the **_FUCK_** do you think?!" Patrick shouted. _"What the fuck!?"_

"Hey _I_ didn't fucking start this!" Belch cried, jabbing a finger at Henry. "He was the one breathing fucking fire and Patrick you better not have just blown a hole into the roof my car!"

Patrick exchanged a look with Vic and together they looked up at the roof of the Trans Am. No hole but there was a dark scorch mark the size of a football.

"Well...it's not a _hole."_ Patrick murmured.

"Goddammit." Belch huffed, coveting his eyes with the back of his arm and slumping in his seat.

"This is bullshit!" Vic exclaimed suddenly, his smooth voice now a cruel banshee's shriek.

"What?" Patrick demanded, rubbing his ears with a frown. "Fucking hell Vic, what?"

"All of you get powers but not me? Henry breathed _fucking fire_ and then Patrick blew a hole in the roof of the car and **BELCH JUST TURNED INTO A FUCKING BIRD!"**

He scoffed in disbelief, his face contorting onto several different expressions of anger. "But I get absolutely **_NOTHING!?"_**

Patrick, Henry and Belch all exchanged looks before staring back at the blonde in shock and confusion. Vic was never really one to scream or shout unless he got really upset or frustrated, which he definitely looked now. His cheeks were quickly flushing red and he sounded more pissed off than scared and confused.

Henry turned to face him completely, giving him a worried glance. "Um, Vic-"

"This is unbelievable! All of you got powers from that cave except for me!?"

Belch frowned. "Okay, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You can shapeshift obviously, Henry gets to breathe fucking fire and Patrick can blow shit up but I get nothing!? _Absolutely nothing!?_ What kind of bullshit cosmic joke is that!?"

Belch, Patrick and Henry all exchanged looks again before looking back at Vic with a confused frown. He merely glared back, a furious glare burning with envy and anger.

"Wait a minute, let me see if I got this straight. You think that going into that weird ass cave gave all of us, excluding you...these freaky ass powers?" Patrick asked, looking at Vic like he needed a straight jacket with a sedative.

"Well, do you have a better explanation for all of the weird shit going on!? Like how you're blowing shit up with your hands and Henry is breathing fucking fire while Belch turns into various types of birds!" Vic demanded furiously. His eyes were wild with anger as he dared the three of them to come up with a better theory to debunk his.

No one had anything to say.

"Yeah, that's what I fucking thought."

...................

"I have something to tell you guys." Beverly replied quickly as the losers club rode their bikes to the top of the quarry.

"W-w-we have something t-to t-t-tell you guys too." Bill stammered after, looking over at Stan who refused to look at him.

"Me three." Mike chimed quietly, shyly exchanging glances when everyone turned to look at him.

"Jeez, all this news in one day what is going on?" Richie nearly groaned out. "Well, Beverly you started the sharing circle so you go first."

"I..I had this dream last night. A really weird dream that was different than any other dream I've ever had."

"What happened?" Stan asked, looking thoroughly intrigued.

"I was...we were all at the quarry. S-some of us were dancing together." She admit softly, her cheeks burning as she resisted the urge to peek at Mike. "Others were reading and gazing at the water but that's not the point, something happened to me while we were there. I made this... _thing_ appear. It was like this magical cloud thing. I don't know how to explain it but it was beautiful and it was the most incredible thing I've ever felt..."

Beverly trailed off as she noticed all the other losers were now staring at her. They all looked confused but there also seemed to be a bit of worry for what was probably her well being in their eyes too.

Eddie stepped forward, his brown eyes shining with concern. "Beverly-"

"Forget it." She quickly interjected. "It was just a stupid dream that I had but it all felt so-"

"Real?" Mike finished, catching her eyes before looking down at the ground.

Beverly nodded in response even though Mike had already looked away. "Yeah. It felt _really_ real."

"Mine felt real too...only mine wasn't a dream. Mine was a nightmare." Mike explained, his eyes grim. "It's the same nightmare I've had for a couple years now."

Bill reached forward and gently took hold of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Mike was grateful for that and gave him a soft smile that Bill of course returned.

It'll be okay. Bill's voice whisper through the air, kind of like his grandmother's had before. The scenario that had unfolded replayed in his head but before he could stop himself, Mike murmured a soft-

"I know."

Bill frowned and tilted his head in confusion. "W-w-what do you kn-kn-know Mike?"

Brown eyes jot open and Mike felt himself sigh with a frown. _"Dang it not again..."_ He growled softly, his voice barely a whisper.

"Mike?" Stan called, his blue eyes shining with worry.

"I'm okay." He assured him quickly. "I just...I'm having a really bad trip today."

Richie huffed out a curious laugh. "Off what acid?"

"Richie." Eddie warned, sending him a harsh glare.

The trashmouth sent him a innocuous and confused glance, his shoulders lifting up and down lightly. "No, I'm seriously asking."

"Shut up." The smaller boy ordered. As if flipping a switch, he turned back to Mike with a soft glance and a gentle smile. "Are you okay Mike?"

"Yeah I just...when I woke up this morning something weird happened. It was like I read my grandmother's mind only not really. I just...I felt what she was feeling. I don't know how to explain it but-"

"Oh my god." Beverly suddenly gasped, looking at Mike with amazed and horrified eyes. "The exact same thing happened to you in my dream."

Mike frowned in confusion. "I don’t understand..."

"Well, just before I woke up...you said that you felt my heart jump in my chest when it happened." Beverly explained, meeting his gaze. He looked confused but also interested in what she had to say. "It was weird but then right after that I saw the..."

The silhouette. 

Beverly shivered as she remembered the strangely tense air and the darkened figure. It stood off in the distance like a ghoul in the shadows, watching her with those glowing golden eyes. They were soulless blank orbs that had sent shivers down her spine and still did even as she thought about it now.

"Saw the what?!" Richie suddenly demanded, his magnified eyes glittering with a freaked out but intrigued shine in them.

"I don't know what it was exactly, it was too dark. I could only see it's silhouette."

"I had a pretty realistic nightmare too." Stan suddenly confessed. "And I saw something too. I saw a-"

"Clown." Mike finished, his dark eyes haunted and a little blank. Slowly he moved to his gaze to meet Stan's, looking for confirmation. "It _was_ a clown, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." The curly haired boy admit softly. "But then something else happened too."

"What?" Eddie murmured, biting his lip as he listened to his friend's talking about their dreams. His own head was churning as he debated sharing his own nightmares with the group since apparently now they were all having them.

"I..I moved some things with my mind in my dream but then when I woke up it happened again." He explained shakily. "Only...it was real. I was awake."

There was a long silence after Stan's confession and he shakily looked up at his friends. He already knew Bill and Richie believed him but Eddie looked more worried than understanding, Ben merely blinked in shock and Mike and Beverly were giving him a look bordering on sympathy. Maybe they understood his burden since they were going through some weird stuff right now too?

"Can you do it again?" Ben suddenly asked, his eyes bright like a puppy who was about to get a treat.

It felt like a weight was suddenly lifted from his shoulders and Stan managed a smile. "I don't know...I wasn't really trying to do it when it happened, it just happened."

"T-try!" Bill encouraged, lips curling in a smile.

Pink pooled in the boy's cheeks and he bashfully looked around. "Try on what? There's nothing-"

"Here!" Ben cried, quickly stripping off his backpack and reaching inside to pull out a book. Crawling off his bike, he stepped closer to Stan and placed it on the ground in front of him. "There."

Stan huffed with a smile, sending a look of thanks to his fellow loser. He looked a the book with a fierce concentration almost as if he was willing it to move. For a moment nothing happened and there was a painful awkwardness in the air as doubt slowly began to sink it.

"I told you I don't know how I did it." Stan finally sighed. "It just-”

Stan’s sentence was cut short as he dropped his hand. As soon as he moved the book leapt into the air before plummeting back down, almost as if someone had tossed it.

All of the losers jumped in shock and Ben let out a soft noise of surprise and intrigue.

 _“Whoa...”_ Hanscom whispered.

“I t-think...that a-a-all of this h-has something t-to do with wh-whatever happened in that ca-ca-cave.” Bill replied, eyes traveling to each one of his friend’s faces.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Beverly replied with a stiff nod.

“So...what do we now?” Eddie asked softly.

His question was met with a grim silence. Each of the losers exchanged glances but no one uttered a single word. Somehow though they all knew. There was only one thing they could do.

They had to go back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay if you haven’t heard Earth, Wind and Fire’s can’t hide love please do yourself a favor and go listen to it omg. 
> 
> also I’ve decided I’m going to try and update this fic every Thursday!!! so we’ll see if that actually goes according to plan lol. now obviously there won’t be an update this Thursday...unless I rush one which 9/10 chance that won’t happen. 
> 
> thank you guys so much for reading! feedback is always welcome!!! 
> 
> (also happy hanukkah to anyone who celebrates it!!!)


	6. Chapter 6

"Please tell me we're all dreaming and this isn't really happening." Stan murmured.

"No such luck." Mike replied.

"Fuck." Richie muttered.

All eyes were on Stan, who had one hand extended outwards. A pebble would have been laying idle in his palm if wasn't floating in midair. Everyone was staring in a mixture of awe, confusion and a little fear. Fear because now they knew that their dreams were only warnings of what was to come. Not only that...but it also meant-

"What about the clown?" Mike asked with a soft shudder. "Do you think that-"

"He's real too?" Beverly finished. "I...I don't know. Maybe?"

"He has to be." Stan replied although his tone made it a little obvious that he wasn't sure.

Mike turned to Bill, Richie, Eddie and Ben. "What about you guys? Have you guys been having weird dreams too?"

Ben looked away, Eddie shrunk inwards, Richie gnawed on his bottom lip and Bill...Bill simply stared  back at him. His eyes were a little red and he looked a little shaken but Mike wasn't quite sure why. Their eyes stayed connected until finally Denbrough decided to speak.

"N-no." He stated quickly, moving his gaze to the ground.

A sinking feeling settled in the farm boy's gut. The previous warmth in his veins suddenly transformed to ice and he felt a tremor rush up his spine. Soon after realization dawned on him and he choked back a hurt whimper. He felt...felt...shaky. _Anxious._ His heart was suddenly pounding like a drum in his chest, hammering against his chest. It was like he was telling a lie and he was afraid he would get caught.

Almost instantaneously the connection clicked and he looked back at Bill. "You're lying." He replied with a soft frown. "I can tell."

All eyes were suddenly on Bill, who simply sighed in defeat but a smile soon found its way onto his face. "I w-w-was actually af-f-raid you would f-f-figure that out."

Mike gave him a prideful smile. "Nice try."

"I-I had a n-nightmare but I'm not exactly s-s-sure what happened." He admit.

Beverly frowned and moved closer to him, obviously intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"I was...in the cave b-but I was a-all alone. A-and I was being ch-ch-chased by something but it...it wasn't B-B-Bowers." He looked up with a haunted look in his blue eyes. "It was s-s-something else."

"The clown?" Ben suggested.

"I...I don't kn-know. I didn't turn around to s-s-see." He admit. "B-but it didn't feel h-h-human it just f-felt-"

"Evil?" Beverly finished hesitantly.

"Y-yeah. How'd you know?" He asked with a frown. "Are y-you a m-m-mindreader like M-Mike?"

"I don't think I'm a mindreader." The homeschooled boy replied gently. "I think it's a little more complicated than that."

"I don't exactly know what I am." Beverly replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "But I'm not afraid of it...and I don't think I should be. I don't think any of us should be afraid of what's going on."

"I do." Eddie murmured. "Obviously whatever is happening isn't a hundred percent good. What about the clown?"

Beverly shook her head. "I don't know."

A long moment of silence passed before the redhead spoke again. "Everything in my dream wasn't exactly clear but I do know that I can create these...things. I font know what they are but they're almost like these small little-"

"G-galaxies?" Ben stuttered out.

Beverly smiled up at him but it died down as soon as she saw the look on his face. He looked surprised and even a little scared but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at her chest, which made her cheeks heat up a little and prompted her to look down.  A gasp of shock left her when she noticed the same cloud of glittering stardust from her dreams shining before her now! A gasp of pure happiness left her and the cloud slowly grew larger, expanding from the middle of her chest to the bottom of her chin.

"Holy shit..." Richie mumbled.

Beverly looked up at her friends, her smile only growing. "See? I told you it's-"

"Gorgeous." Stan finished, the shimmering light of Beverly's creation reflecting in his eyes. He had finally forsaken his efforts to move the book in favor of gawking at whatever was in the redhead's hands.

"What is it?" Eddie asked. He had never seen anything so lovely in his entire life; it was almost mind blowing.

"It looks like a mini version of a supernova! It's unbelievable, I've only ever seen pictures of them in books." Ben replied, inching closer to Beverly so he could get a closer look. Hesitantly he reached forward and let his fingers trace through the glittering cloud. He laughed giddily and quickly pulled his hand away. "It tickles."

"Yeah, but how do you make it go away." Richie inquired, raising a brow.

Beverly's smile slowly dropped and she looked up to meet his gaze. "I...I actually don't know."

"Throw it." Eddie suggested, blinking in shock when suddenly all of his friends were staring at him. "Up in the air of course not at one of us."

The redhead nodded and looked back down at the beauty in her hands. She didn't want to throw it in all honesty but there was no other way to get rid of the thing. Not to her knowledge anyway.

"Okay...okay." She breathed out, taking a deep inhale and letting her eyes slip closed. Without opening her eyes or exhaling the breath she had taken in Beverly threw both of her hands up. Her green orbs opened just in time to see her creation fly into the air before exploding like a firework in the air, raining down a million fragments of opalescent dust.

"Wow." Mike sighed in wonder, holding his hands out to collect some of the glittery particles on his hands. "Beverly..."

"It's amazing isn't it?" She asked, her smile quickly returning.

"Very." Stan agreed.

"This is why I want to know more...guys, we have to go back and find out what happened to us. What do we have to lose?"

Richie let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head light. "Oh, nothing important y'know...just our fucking lives!"

.......................

"Vic, would you _please_ calm down?"

The blonde looked up from the forest trail the gang was following to glare at Belch with furious eyes, a deep frown etched onto his face. _"Calm down?"_ He repeated. **_"CALM DOWN?!_ ** All my friends are sprouting supernatural powers and I got the rawest end of the deal because I got nothing!"

"And you think bitching at us is going to magically change that?" Henry taunted. Vic responded with a sickeningly sweet smile and both his middle fingers standing up tall.

"Maybe, who knows all kinds of crazy shit has been going on lately." The blonde grouched, slapping a tree branch out of his path.

"Hey, maybe bitching is your superpower!" Henry taunted. "Ever stop to think about that?"

"Henry, don't be shitty." Belch chasitised. "You'd be pissed off too and don't even try to deny it."

"I wouldn't be jealous if I saw weird shit happening to everyone around except me. In fact, I'd be happy that I dodged the bullet."

"This isn't weird shit. This is supernatural. Or something. I don't fucking know, all I know is it's not fair that you guys have all this and I have nothing."

"Shouldn't you be happy about that though?" Patrick asked as he moved a branch out of his path. "Why would you ever want some shit like this?" To prove his point he flung his right hand effortlessly, blowing a tennis ball sized hole into a tree nearby.

Henry flinched at the loud sound of the small explosion and sent a glare at the lanky teen. "For god's sake Patrick!" He yelled. "Will you stop doing that before you blow up one of us!"

"Don't worry I can't." He assured him with a look that was eerily saddened. "I already tried."

"You _WHAT!?"_ Belch screamed, his voice echoing through the forest. " **YOU TRIED TO FUCKING-"**

"Obviously, that was a joke. I think you would know if I tried to blow you up." Patrick replied with a teasing smile. "I don't know how the fuck I'm doing it but it's getting a little easier to control I thi-"

His sentence was cut short as he threw both hands forward. An explosion bigger than any he had created previously went off and tossed him several feet backwards. He slammed into the ground with a grunt and groaned as he struggled to sit up.

"Ouch." He all but whined. "Son of a _bitch_ not again."

Vic shook his head and Belch smiled in satisfaction while Henry rolled his eyes. "Fucking idiot." Bowers growled as he continued walking. "Move your skinny ass Hockstetter."

Patrick flared as he crawled to his feet. "Why don't you kiss my ass Bowers?"

"Hey, I have an idea. How about you both shut the fuck up?" Vic suggested with a fake smile.

Belch let out an audible sigh, turning to give the blonde an almost pleading look. "Christ, Vic it's not our fault you didn't get any powers. Don't go gettin all passive aggressive on us."

"I second that." Patrick replied, brushing himself off. "Fuck, that shit always has a lot more kickback than I think it will."

"Well, it wouldn't happen if you would just keep your fucking hands down." Henry growled. "Like we've fucking asked you to about a million fucking times already."

"No, I want to figure out how to-"

Another small explosion sounded and a tree branch above Henry plummeted to the ground in front of him. If he'd been standing five inches to the left it would have fell right on top of his head and probably would have knocked him out.

"GodDAMMIT PATRICK!" Bowers shouted.

"Calm the hell down." The raven haired teen fired back. "I didn't mean to do that one. Honest."

Red suddenly settled in Henry's cheeks and steam was beginning to form as he panted furiously. If he wasn't already pissed off beyond measure, Patrick would have commented on how he looked like a kettle whistling on the stove. But now wasn't the time. Even he knew that Bowers had his limits.

"Then keep. Your _FUCKING._ **HANDS DOWN!"** The hothead ordered, another stream of fire suddenly leaping from his lips.

Belch and Vic jumped back to avoid the sudden heat, staring at their friend with wide eyes. Patrick watched with a gleam of interest and once he ran out of steam (quite literally) Henry fell to his knees. He was panting like a dog left out in the heat and a shining layer of sweat covered his skin.

"Henry, you may want to try not getting angry for a little while." Belch suggested as he approached him and helped him to his feet. He was surprised to find best friend shaking in his arms and held him a little closer for good measure.

"That's fucking impossible with _this_ one around!" Bowers snapped, motioning angrily at Patrick. He sounded like he was in the middle of heat stroke and he looked like he hadn't had a cool drink in years.

"Calm down Bowers, fuck you're burning up." Belch advised, pressing the back of his hand to the other's forehead. He hissed and quickly drew it away. Henry felt like a goddamn furnace! It couldn't possibly be good for him. "Get any angrier and you might combust."

"Holy shit, do you really think that could happen?" Vic inquired, eyes wide with horror and pointed right at Bowers.

He merely scoffed. "Don't be stupid Vic, that's fucking imposs-"

_**"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"** _

All four teens looked around with wide eyes, searching for the source of the scream. There was nothing in sight and the sound hadn't come from one of them. Belch turned to Patrick, who was already running to investigate with Vic following behind him. Gently, he hoisted Henry's arm around his shoulder and gripped his waist so he could support him as he followed after the other two.

 _"Goddamnit."_ He muttered as he rushed after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little short and not kinda crap... 
> 
> Christmas has been making things kinda hectic. The next one will be better guys!
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!


	7. Chapter 7

_**"AAAAAHHHHHHUOOOOOOOOWWWW!"** _

All the losers chuckled softly as they watched Richie all but snatch his hand away from Beverly. They were sitting at the edge of the quarry, their legs dangling carelessly over the edge. The redhead decided that she would keep generating whatever she had conjured up before and Richie; thoroughly intrigued, decided to stick his hand inside. Well, it didn't work out very well because whatever was in Beverly's hands gave him a pretty mean shock before vanishing completely.

Richie sent them all angry glares behind his glasses as he rubbed the back of his stinging hand. "Guys, it's not fucking funny!" He insisted. "That shit really hurt! Felt like I just got fucking electrocuted or something!"

Beverly gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Richie, I don't know what happened. I really don't. I didn't think this thing could hurt anyone."

"S-s-serves you right for what you s-s-said earlier though." Bill added quickly, giving his friend the side eye.

"It was a joke! I know she's not an old and ugly evil Disney witch but you have to admit that shit does look like something straight out of Sleeping Beauty!"

"Why Sleeping Beauty?" Stan asked.

Mike turned to look at him like he had suddenly grown a third eye. "Are you kidding? Maleficent. She's like the only evil witch in Disney."

"No she's not." Ben quickly added. "The Evil Queen from Snow White was a witch too. She was much less beautiful than Maleficent though."

Hanlon raised a brow. How do you figure?"

Ben's eyes widened, like he couldn't believe the question Mike had just asked. "Well she was _kinda_ an old hag."

"That was only a disguise." Mike replied with a light chuckle. "She just used that to trick Snow White into eating the poisoned apple. The Evil Queen was actually considered to be the most beautiful woman in the entire Kingdom; after Snow White of course. I think that was actually the reason she tried to kill her."

"Okay, not that we aren't enjoying this... _Disney trivia_ , but can we please get back to the real topic?" Eddie asked softly.

"I agree." Richie chimed, still rubbing his hand with a frown. "This shit is just getting too weird."

"Real is the word here if you ask me." Ben muttered. "This is stuff that's happening in our dreams. While we're asleep! Now it's starting to happen in real life? I really don't think celebrating is the right thing to do here."

Beverly's face fell as she heard his words and Ben felt a ring of ice close around his heart. "At least not at the moment!" He quickly added, reaching over and covering her hand with his own. "I just think right now we should be careful..."

Suddenly her cheerful smile returned and Ben gave her a smile of his own. Beverly opened her mouth to respond but Mike strangely beat her to the punch.

"You're right." He replied with a sweetened smile, clapping a gentle hand on his shoulder. There was a gleam of...interest in his chocolate brown eyes.

_Romantic interest._

Ben flushed completely, shocked at Mike's actions but didn't say a word. All eyes were with surprise and Mike suddenly jerked away like touching Ben brought him physical pain. Eddie and Richie were looking back and forth between the two boys. Bill was looking ahead at Beverly, who was staring at Mike in both awe and confusion and Stan was looking at Mike like he had committed an act of betrayal. The homeschooled boy's cheeks flushed pink and he quickly looked away, covering his eyes with both hands in total embarrassment.

 _"Not again..."_ He groaned softly. "Dammit."

"Mike?" Bill called, easing a hand onto his leg. "A-A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just-"

"Are you sure you're not a mindreader?" Beverly inquired, her head tilting with interest. "Because that's exactly what I was going to say to Ben."

"No, it's more complicated than that. I'm not just reading your mind I'm...feeling what you feel too. Like I said before, I don't know how to explain it but it's like I'm becoming you for a split second. It's weird. Frightening almost."

"Well, if it's not mindreading then what is it?" Stan asked, blue eyes shining with concern.

"I don't know." The farm boy replied in defeat, his shoulders slumping.

"Maybe we could find out?" Ben suggested with a hopeful smile. "We could go to the library and read up on everything."

 _"Boooooooooooring!"_ Richie announced, using both hands to substitute for a megaphone. "Come on it's summer!"

Beverly lowered her eyes before rolling them. "And we have two whole months left to enjoy it. One day in the library isn't going to kill you Richie."

"B-B-Besides, don't you want to f-f-figure this out?" Bill inquired.

"No!" Eddie nearly yelled, tossing his hands up. "I don’t! I don’t want to figure whatever this is out because whatever this is is obviously dangerous! Dangerous enough to nearly kill us! I still have my normal old body! Nothing weird or bad happened to me! No fucking nightmares! No fucking clown and no fucking...whatever the hell is happening to _them!"_ He angrily motioned at Mike, Stan and Beverly.

A long silence hung over the group of friends and Eddie seemed to realize the harshness of his words. His entire face fell as he looked down at his hands, wringing them in his lap. "I'm sorry guys." There was actual guilt in his eyes and they could all see that but of course it didn't end there for Mike.

"Oh god." He whispered, putting one hand over his heart as he turned to look at Eddie. "You feel awful about it don't you? It's okay, we don't hate you."

Eddie's brown eyes widened in both shock and confusion. He opened his mouth to speak but there were no words to say, or at least none he could think of. Oddly enough, having Mike use whatever his new power was on him made the whole thing a little more... _real_ to him. Since he didn't know how to respond, he simply settled for giving a small smile and a gentle nod.

"Okay, we have got to find out what is going on because Mike is _really_ starting to freak me the fuck out." Richie blurted out, staring at the homeschooled boy with wide eyes.

Mike's entire demeanor crumbled when he didn't find an ounce of humor in the trashmouth's voice. There was none to find in his emotions either. For once Richie was being completely serious and it broke Mike's heart to know that Richie really was completely freaked out and it was all because of him.

"Sorry..." He whispered. "I'm not trying to do this, I just can't stop myself."

Richie's heart throbbed when he saw the sudden sadness in those kind dark brown eyes. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean it is what I meant, I just didn't mean to say it that way. I'm sorry Mike."

Mike nodded but there was still a lingering sadness in his eyes that made Richie feel like shit. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Mike's feelings. He didn't think he was weird...just him telling everyone how they felt was weird. Mike was great! Richie liked Mike, loved him even, and so far they’ve only known each other a week. He blended right in and it felt like they had known each other for years.

"I think B-B-Ben is right." Bill announced, suddenly rising to his feet. "W-w-we should g-go to the library."

"And do what?" Stan asked, his voice cracking just a little on that last word. "What is the library going to tell us about any of this?"

"You'd be surprised." Ben chimed. "There's a lot of information in the library."

_"That why the library is your favorite place in town tits?"_

All seven losers seemed to instantaneously get a feeling of dread. Their eyes widened altogether and in an oddly synced motion they all turned to see Henry Bowers and the rest of his goons. All four stood not far from them, having just emerged from the woods.

Bill was the first to scramble to his feet and move away from the edge, with Richie and Ben quickly joining after. Denbrough had a burning azure blaze in his eyes; no doubt the determination to protect his friends from their bully. It was easy to see that he was frightened but there was just as much bravery as well.

"What do you w-w-want Bowers?" Bill growled, hands balling at his sides.

"Payback for one thing, considering it's your fucking fault all of this shit is happening in the first place." The teen growled, a scary smile tugging at his lips. "We never would have been in that cave if it weren't for you B-B-B-B-Billy!"

"What!? Are you fucking _**kidding**_ me!?” Richie exclaimed, his already magnified eyes growing larger. "Who were the fucking assholes that _chased us in there?!"_

Henry cast his eyes on Richie and Bill instinctively moved in front to shield him. That made the older boy's frown grow more and he even snarled at them. "Doesn't matter. What's done is done...and I know just how to get even with you fucking losers."

"Yeah?" Patrick suddenly mused, taking a step closer and raising both hands. "Me too."

 _ **"Patrick!"**_ Both Vic and Belch shouted in sudden panic, making all of the losers jump. They watched in confusion as Belch even went as far as to grab onto one of Patrick's wrists and tug it back down harshly, shaking his head with a firm glare.

The lanky teen returned his angry stare and for a moment the two were stuck in their own little standoff. Eventually, Patrick caved and dropped his other hand, his angry eyes never leaving Belch's face.

_"Fine."_

Relief seemed to crash onto Belch and Vic like a wave and Belch released his friend to turn back to the group. His eyes weren't as angry anymore, now they were irritated like he had just saved a group of kids who insisted on jumping right back into danger.

Unfortunately, once their spectacle ended Henry decided to make his move. He advanced on the group like a wolf approaching prey and Stan scrambled to his feet, along with Beverly. Both looked more than ready for a fight, no doubt willing to use their new found gifts to protect their friends.

"Go away Bowers." Beverly demanded firmly. "I mean it."

"Or what?" He growled, a teasing smile tugging at his lips as he outstretched his arms. "You gonna drag me into the bushes and blow me? Well be my fucking guest, _Beaverly."_

Beverly's cheeks burned at the sound of that wretched nickname. Every time she heard someone call her that it made her want to scream. The urge to punch Bowers in his face had never been stronger than it was at that moment. Her fists balled at her sides and she glared the older boy down.

"Leave her alone you asshole!" Ben shouted. He stepped in front of Beverly protectively, like he was ready and willing to take on the whole world just to protect her.

 ** _"Or what?"_** Bowers repeated, continuing his approach with a wolfish grin.

"Or this!" Stan suddenly shouted, throwing a hand forward.

Bowers helped a curse as he was suddenly thrown back like a rag doll. He slammed full force into Vic, sending them both crashing to the ground. Belch and Patrick looked on in complete disbelief before turning to cast their shock on the other group.

"No...fucking...way!" Hockstetter murmured.

"Wha? _ARE YOU **SHITTING** ME!?"_ Vic angrily groaned, hands coming up to cover his eyes. "They all got fucking powers from that stupid cave too?"

"Vic." Belch sighed. "Now is _really_ not the fucking time."

"Doesn't fucking matter." Patrick replied, shoving Belch aside as he advanced. "They aren't the only ones with powers and I can do this!"

Before Belch could lunge himself at Patrick to stop him the lanky teen brought both fists in the air. His eyes connected with his unfortunate target just before he opened them. Mike, who had finally crawled to his feet along with Stan, was staring at him in total fear. Their eyes didn't stay connected long because as soon as Patrick opened his fists, there was a loud boom! Like a sudden firework exploded in the air above them and Mike was thrown backwards by the blast, flying right over the cliff of the quarry. There was a blood curdling scream before he fell and everyone looked on in horror as he vanished from sight.

 _"Mike!"_ Both Stan and Bill screamed in complete horror. Their cries were met by Mike’s own followed by the sound of a loud splash down below.

In mere seconds, Denbrough was rushing for the cliff and flinging himself over the edge. Beverly followed without hesitation after him and Stan though he looked a little afraid went next. Eddie watched in shock and horror, frozen where he knelt by the cliff and Ben and Richie were still looking on in complete shock.

As the sound of several splashes filled the air, they all turned to look at Hockstetter in fear and surprise. But he wasn’t there. None of the Bowers Gang was. All four were gone. They had vanished or fled.

.........................

“Patrick, _you stupid son of a bitch!”_ Belch screamed angrily as they rushed through the forest.

“ **Shut the** _**fuck**_ up Belch!” Henry snapped. “Hanlon isn’t gonna die from one little fucking fall off a cliff.”

“You don’t know that!” Vic cried. “You don’t know that! He could hit his head or something! What if he’s _fucking dead!?”_

“Well If he is no one can fucking _prove_ that we did anything!” Bowers growled, turning over his shoulder to glare at his friends. “So shut the fuck up and run so we can get out of here!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early chapter release because I want to :3 
> 
> A lot of bad stuff happened at the end there (my poor Mikey :’( ) but more will be revealed next chapter, including new powers!!!!
> 
> Thanks for reading you guys! Hope you enjoyed!!! Feedback is always welcome and greatly appreciated <3


	8. Chapter 8

"Mike!" Eddie screamed, hands running frantically through his hair. "Oh my god! Oh my god! What do we do!? What do we do!? Oh god! Oh my go-"

 _"Eddie!"_ Richie called, gripping him by his shoulders and turning him around so they were face to face. "Just breathe alright? Come on everything is going to be okay."

He could see the panic quickly rising in Eddie's dark brown eyes with every shaky breathe he took. He was scared for Mike just like he and Ben were but he didn't want the smaller boy to get too overwhelmed. It didn't take much to get him to that point either. There was no doubt in Richie's mind that he had his inhaler handy like he always did but the last thing he wanted was for Eddie to have to use it.

"But Mike!" The smaller boy cried, tears beginning to gather in his eyes. "H-Hockstetter, h-he-"

"I know but Mike is going to be okay. How many times have we jumped into the quarry? Nothing has ever happened to us before."

"B-But Mike has never jumped with us! Hell, we only just started jumping into the water! And Mike, he-he didn't even get a chance to jump this time, he just got...blasted off by whatever the hell Patrick did!"

"Guys!" Ben suddenly exclaimed, waving a hand frantically to get their attention. "Look!"

Both heads turned to peek over the edge of the quarry, where four heads had emerged from the water. Eddie didn't even try to hide his joy and relief when he noticed Mike and threw his arms around Richie. The trashmouth accepted the embrace and returned it of course a relieved curse slipping from his lips.

"Thank fuck." He sighed, giving Eddie a gentle squeeze.

"Mike!" Ben called, grinning when Hanlon turn to look up at him. "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah!" The farmhand yelled back. "I'm a little shaken up honestly but...but I'm okay!"

"Oh, thank god." Eddie replied, letting go of Richie to join Ben at the edge. "Stay put, we're coming down!"

"No!" Bill called. "Our b-bikes are up there! St-st-stay put and we'll c-c-come to you! We already know the way!"

The smaller boy frowned. "We'll bring them down with us! Just stay there! We're coming!"

Turning back to Ben and Richie, Eddie scrambled to hi feet and made his way to the bikes. "Come on, we need to get down there now."

Ben nodded quickly, scrambling to his feet. "I agree but how are we supposed to get seven bikes down there?"

Richie smiled. "We'll figure it out. Come on, the sooner we get to them the better. I don't like being separated with Bowers and his merry band of asshole lurking around."

......................

Vic squeezed his eyes shut as he ran after his friends. He still couldn't quite find his cool as they darted towards the Trans Am. The sound of Mike's terrified scream wouldn't stop echoing in his mind and the look of horror on his face as he fell kept replaying. Words could never explain how worried and afraid he was for the younger boy. He would never forgive himself if he died. Sure the losers were annoying little shits but he didn't want any of them to die.

Unable to stand the weight of guilt, the blonde slid to a stop. Belch quickly slowed his steps as soon as he heard the other stop running and turned to give him a confused look. Henry froze seconds after and held out an arm to halt Patrick too.

"Vic, what the fuck?" Bowers demanded. "Come on, move your ass."

"No." The blonde muttered, shaking his head defiantly. "No, we can't just leave! We need to go back and see if Hanlon is okay."

Henry groaned, rubbing his temples with an irritated exhale. "Who gives a fuck about Hanlon!?"

"I don't!" Belch suddenly admit, throwing his hands in the air. "I really don't care but fucking hell, I don't want his blood on my hands Henry!"

"He's not dead!"

"You don't know that!" Vic insisted. "Even if he didn't die from the fall he could have been hurt from the explosion alone!"

There was a brief moment of tense silence as all eyes shifted to Hockstetter. Luckily for them Patrick wasn't paying them any attention. The lanky teen stood silent for once, his brooding green eyes staring off into the distance, clearly lost in thought.

Out of all the explosions he had caused...this was different somehow. _**Darker.**_ Sinister almost. It felt wrong to blow Mike Hanlon off the edge of the quarry but Patrick couldn't understand why. It's not like he and the others hadn't hurt the losers before...

So why was this any different? So... _wrong..._

"Oh, fuck you Henry!" Vic suddenly shouted, startling the tall teen.

For the first time Patrick became aware that his friends were arguing. Vic was completely red in the face from had to be frustration. Belch looked fed up with just about everything; beefy arms crossed over his chest and face pulled in a deep frown. And Henry...well he didn't look too different but his blue eyes just couldn't seem to stop rolling. The infamous angry vein was also beginning to stick out in the left corner of his forehead.

"I'm going back with or without you." Vic declared, turning back and heading in the opposite direction.

"Wait up!" Belch called, jogging after him.

Henry called out to them but the only response he received was a backwards middle finger from the skinny blonde. The two remaining teens watched his back as they marched away but to Henry's immense shock Patrick began to quietly stalk after them.

Bowers grabbed him by the wrist to halt him, his face burning red. "And where the fuck are you going?!"

"Back to help. You know damn well that your pissyness isn't going to win over Vic's stubbornness. He's not coming back until he checks on Hanlon and neither is Belch, who just so happens to have the goddamn keys to the car. We can't leave here without him so shut up and let's go."

Henry blinked in shock but didn't have much time to process. In seconds the lanky teen had pulled his arm away and started walking again. Bowers watched his back as he walked for a couple moments before letting out a groan. Irritated but thoroughly defeated, Henry chased after them with an angry swear.

.....................

"Are you s-s-sure you're okay M-Mike?"

Hanlon turned to his friend as they swam through the quarry. His eyes looked a little wider than usual and there was an obvious concern lurking inside. Nevertheless, Mike managed a little chuckle and nodded. "Come on Bill, all of you must have asked me that question a hundred times already."

He jumped a little when Bill shifted and almost all of his weight went with him. His cheeks warmed as he gave the other boy a surprised glance but Bill seemed just as surprised as he did. They both had the same question lingering in their eyes.

_What was that?_

"We're worried about you." Stan suddenly insisted, although Mike could tell that by we he really meant that he was worried. But it was pretty safe to say that they were all still a bit concerned. "For cryin out loud Mike, you just got blown off a cliff!"

"I know but I'm fine. I promise. It just...it caught me off guard. I've never fallen from such a tall height before...that was the only real scary part. Once I was in the water I was fine. I just want to know how Patrick was able to do that."

"The same way you've been reading minds and the same way Stan's been moving things with his mind." Beverly muttered. "I mean it has to be right? What other explanation is there?"

"Vic seemed pretty surprised that I had powers." Stan observed.

"I'm guessing they didn't count on us getting powers just like we didn't count on them getting powers." Mike thought aloud.

Denbrough gave him another smile as he helped Mike wade through the deep waters. "I d-d-don't think a-any of us counted on anyone g-g-getting powers. Th-th-this is all just a w-weird coincidence."

Stanley took a peek at the cloudless blue sky above, keeping one hand on Mike's shoulder. "Pretty huge coincidence if you ask me..."

"Well...we all did go into the caves together." Beverly noted. "It only makes sense that something would happen to Bowers and his friends too."

A haunting silence suddenly fell over the group as they swam to the shore. They could walk back up to the cliff of the quarry, it would be a long walk but Eddie had told them to stay put. No doubt the other three losers were already rushing down to meet them. Bill and Stan made sure they were on either side of Mike, helping to get him back to dry land. Beverly followed closely behind, her almost paranoid green eyes searching for something that wasn't there.

Upon reaching the shore, Mike crawled to his feet and wrung out his shirt. Stan quickly shook his head like a dog in an effort to dry his hair before slicking it back and out of his face. Bill and Beverly wiped their faces, lucky enough to not have hair obscuring their vision. Once they were sated with their drenched state they plopped down beside each other. Mike sat squished between Bill and Stan, who insisted on keeping themselves close while Beverly sat in front of Mike.

"I really hope Richie, Ben and Eddie aren't too worried." Mike replied. "I could hear Eddie's panicked screams when we got to the surface of the water."

"You let them know you were okay." Beverly assured him, clapping  a hand on his shoulder. "Hopefully that's calmed them all down and Eddie has his inhaler if he needs it. I saw him fiddling with it earlier."

"So...about Bowers..." Stan began but quickly trailed off.

Beverly frowned lightly. "I think Hockstetter is the bigger threat here. I don't know how he did it but he's running around setting off explosions with nothing but his bare hands."

"H-Henry could have g-g-gotten p-powers worse than Patrick's." Bill cut in. "H-He looked ready to d-d-do something before Stan sent him f-flying."

"I think it's safe to say Vic was the only one who didn't get any powers." Beverly replied with a giggle, remembering the blonde's furious reaction.

Stan quietly wrung his hands in his lap, teeth gently gnawing on his bottom lip. "So Belch has a power too then?"

Mike sat back with his palms flat against the ground, turning to look up at the big blue sky. This was all too much. The cave, the powers, Bowers and his gang, the nightmares...

"What the hell is going on?" He muttered, watching the clouds drift past. There was a sudden ache in his chest as he questioned what his father would do in this situation. His dad always had the answers...or at least some wisdom to give...but he was gone.

_**Mike!** _

Hanlon whipped his head around, fast enough that it startled the other three. His eyes were alert as he searched for someone that wasn't there. He had chills racing down his spine and goosebumps breaking out onto his skin. That voice had sounded close. Too close. Like someone had whispered it in his ear. That was a little too close for comfort and it hadn't been Bill's voice or Stanley's. It was unfamiliar but scary, a little playful and childish in nature.

"Mike?"

That time it was a voice that he did recognize. Soft and sweet but also gentle and timid. That was Stanley's voice without a doubt. He turned to him with a smile that only grew when he noticed how red the other boy's cheeks got.

"I'm okay if that's what you were about to ask." Hanlon replied, feeling a twinge if concern that didn't belong to him. Bill was feeling the same thing but his had ebbed some whereas Stanley's had only spiked.

The curly haired boy managed a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Beverly smiled too but it didn't last very long. "You were looking around like you saw something."

Brown eyes lowered as Mike turned to the forests surrounding them. "It's nothing, just...thought I heard something. Hopefully, the others will be here soon and we can get out of here."

....................

"How do you think Hockstetter did it?"

"Ben, I don't think now is the time to brainstorm theories about Bowers and his asshole friends."

"Why not?" The other loser demanded. "After what just happened I think it's pretty safe to say we need to figure out what's going on."

"The more weird shit keeps happening the more I suspect that cave." Eddie replied with a huff. "I knew going in there was going to be a mistake. I remember thinking that much at least and I was right. Now...now we're all mutating and Bowers has even more weapons to use against us."

"Mutating?" Richie repeated. "Come on Eds, I said before this isn't X-men."

"And even if it was that's not how mutants are made." Ben added. "Mutants are born with their powers, they aren't made after going into weird caves with their friends."

"You know what I mean." Eddie sighed. "We're all getting weirder by the day. I mean last week everything was semi-normal and now...now this is happening."

Richie shook his head, nibbling in the inside of his mouth. "Well, nothing weird has happened to me personally. I haven't gotten any weird powers... and I haven't had any nightmares either. Although I am still trying to decide if me not getting powers is a good thing or a bad thing."

"I'm a little jealous honestly." Ben admit with a soft blush. "I know it must be really scary just randomly getting powers but...it's pretty cool too."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't get any powers." Eddie murmured. "That's the last thing I need."

.........................

"You guys _really_ don't hear that?"

"No, but I swear to god if you fucking blow up one more tree branch I'm going to punch you in the face." Belch grumbled.

Vic turned to glare at him. "I mean seriously Patrick, my ears can't take anymore ringing."

"I'm not doing it on purpose." The lanky teen insisted. "It just feels like someone-"

A twig snapped somewhere to their left and a soft boom sounded when Patrick turned to investigate. The other three covered their now ringing ears and Belch gave Patrick a glare so furious and violent that the lanky teen's blood turned to ice.

"That wasn't my fault." The tall teen insisted.

"This whole goddamn thing is your fucking fault." Vic shot back.

"Seriously? Or is your lack of powers just making you an ass again?" Patrick snapped back. "Because last time I checked it was Henry that started all the fighting like he always fucking does."

Bowers threw up a middle finger, ignoring the two of them as he walked ahead. "Will you guys shut the fuck up and come on? The quarry clearing is just up ahead."

"And tell me again why we're going there instead of the cliff?" Belch inquired.

"Because you two said you wanted to fucking see _Mike.”_ Henry sighed, almost sounding like a teacher who tired of explaining the same thing over and over. “He's not going to be at the _top_ of the quarry if Patrick blew him over the edge.”

Belch sighed and nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Hey!” Vic called, pointing at the clear up ahead. “Is that them?”

All heads turned to see a group of three sitting on the shores of the water facing away from them. Despite the trio being a couple feet away, Henry could make out Mike Hanlon’s shirt.

“Yeah, that’s them.” He confirmed a little quick for comfort. “C’mon. Let’s go so Vic can feel absolved and we can get the fuck out of here.”

“Fuck you Bowers.”

“Only in your dreams Criss.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay I know I said there would be new power reveals but I had to cut this chapter in half but the next one will reveal more powers!!! I promise! 
> 
> Thanks for reading guys!!!! Feedback is always welcome <3


	9. Chapter 9

“Christ, Richie!”

“Hey, come on I said I was sorry didn’t I?”

“What, are you keeping fucking ice cubes in your pockets now!?” The smaller boy snapped. “What the hell!?”

“Who the fuck keeps ice cubes in their-”

“Richie!”

“Look, I don’t know! I don’t even feel it! My hands feel fine to me!” The trashmouth insisted.

Ben shivered as he trailed behind Richie and Eddie, an amused smile plastered on his face. Listening to their banter was the only enjoyable thing about their current situation. Pushing seven bikes through the forest wasn’t the most desirable task in the world, especially when you only had three people. He didn't really mind it save for the occasional rock in the path. Oddly enough though...there was an unusual tension in the air.

"Hey guys...do you feel that?" He asked softly.

"Feel what?" Richie asked, turning to look at him. "You feeling a breeze back there cause that might just mean you ripped your pants or somethin."

Ben chuckled while Eddie gave him a look that an annoyed wife gave her husband. "No, I just...I don't know I feel like someone is watching us."

"Oh god, don't say that. _Please_ don't say that." Eddie murmured, halting his steps to frantically search the area with his eyes.

"Sorry, I just...I don't know, I feel like someone is watching us."

"Yeah, three kids hauling seven bikes through the woods. You just don't get that kind of entertainment anymore!" Richie teased, patting Eddie's fanny pack as if to remind him that he had his inhaler.

"I'm serious." Ben insisted, turning to the surrounding woods. "I can't explain it, I just-"

"How about we just keep going?" Eddie nearly pleaded. "I mean we're barely getting anywhere as it is and the others are waiting for us."

“Sure thing.” Richie agreed with a shrug before turning to look at Ben. “Hey Hanscom do me a favor will ya? Feel my fuckin hands because apparently they’re cold as shit.”

_“Richie!”_

Ben rolled his eyes with a chuckle as the two resumed their playful exchange. Though he looked a little doubtful Hanscom followed after the other two as they trudged on. He wasn’t surprised when not even five minutes later he felt eyes on him once again. Despite himself Ben let his eyes slip to the left and felt ice in his veins when he found a single red balloon floating in the distance.

..................

"You're getting pretty good at that." Mike marveled as he watched Stan lift three rocks at a time. They spun slowly in the air before suddenly flying off into the calm waters a few feet away.

The curly haired boy shrugged with a bashful smile, flustered by the praise. "It gets easier the more I practice."

Beverly smiled but it faltered some. "How do you feel when you use your powers?" All eyes suddenly fell on her and a sea of pink fell over her freckled cheeks. "I'm...just curious."

"I don't really feel anything." Stan admit, lifting another rock and launching it into the water. "Whenever I use it I have to concentrate really hard or it won't work."

Mike sighed enviously, putting a little more of his weight against Stan. "I wish my powers worked like that."

"How d-d-do your powers work?" Bill asked, genuinely curious.

"I have no idea...I don't really have any control over mine it just happens."

Denbrough smiled and nudged him gently with his elbow. "M-m-m-maybe if you t-t-tried using it?" He suggested with a smile. "I-If St-Stan and Beverly can use theirs at will w-w-why can't you?"

A hopeful smile tugged at Hanlon's lips and his brown eyes brightened some. "Maybe...but I don't even know what to do with my power. All it does is make me-"

"Hey!"

One look up and Beverly was up on her feet, hands raised like she was ready for a fight. The trio of boys were shocked at her reaction but after looking for themselves they practically did the same. Standing a few feet away were the Bowers Gang. Henry was standing in front as usual but he didn't look as angry as he usually did. Patrick stood as his right like always but he didn't even look like he was fully present, his attention focused on something in the distance. Belch and Vic were the only ones that looked even a little bit concerned for them.

"Stay the hell away from us." Beverly warned, her lips drawn in a fierce snarl.

Belch let his hands raise slowly, a sign of surrender. "We didn't come here to fight.” He replied.

Bill and Stan shared skeptical glances while Beverly slowly stepped in front of Mike. It was more than obvious that none of them believed that Bowers came in peace. He didn’t even know the meaning of the word; none of the four bullies did.

“Fucking relax.” Vic insisted. “We just wanted to make sure no one fucking died.”

Bev snorted, her frown seeping as she glared at Patrick accusingly. “Yeah, well if you assholes weren’t in the habit of blowing people off cliffs-”

“Hey! Who the fuck was the one that fucking started all of this with their Carrie prom revenge shtick!?” Henry growled, turning his gaze on Stan.

“You were gonna attack us!” The curly haired boy exclaimed, his voice cracking on the second to last word.

“If you had just left us alone none of it would have happened!” Mike insisted, letting one hand slip around Stanley’s wrist. He could feel the other’s anxiety growing with each breath he took.

A moment of silence passed and Bowers looked away with a grimace. “This isn’t about who’s fucking right and who’s fucking wrong alright?”

“A-are you s-s-saying that because you k-know you’re fucking wr-wr-wrong?” Bill taunted.

“Bill!” Beverly warned softly. “I really don’t think _now_ is the time to be a smart ass!”

Henry’s face flushed and he took a step forward, literal steam coming from his ears. It oddly made him look like a real version of Popeye but with hair and much younger.

“Denbrough, I swear to fucking God I will DESTROY you!” Bowers growled, fire suddenly erupting around his hands.

All eyes were wide with shock, even the rest of the Bowers Gang. Quickly, the losers all stepped away from the older boy. Beverly gulped and shared a worried glance with Mike, who had gone pale. Stan inched closer to Bill and resisted the gigantic urge to send Henry flying again.

“Holy shit.” Vic murmured. “That’s...different.”

“But also really fucking cool. Goddamn Henry, I’m almost jealous.” Patrick nearly whined.

Belch looked at him like he’d grown a third eye. “Are you kidding me? You can literally blow shit up with your fucking hands.”

“Believe it or not, _Reginald_ , that’s not exactly a glamorous lifestyle. I can...semi-blow myself up too and that shit really fucking hurts.”

“I’ll say.” Mike murmured, one hand running over his chest.

Beverly shook her head. “Can’t you just apologize and leave us alone?”

Henry raised a brow. “Apologize? Who the fuck said we were going to _apologize?_ I said we came to make sure no one died. So sorry to disappoint _Beaverly.”_

Hanlon’s face burned and his fists balled at his sides. “God, you are just...you’re such...you’re such a jerk!”

Patrick laughed teasingly, making no effort to hide his amusement. “Seriously? Fucking _seriously?_ That’s the best you could do?”

Bowers brought one hand to his chest, feigning hurt and even turned to look at his friends. “Oh my god...I’m such a jerk? Oh no, how ever will I go on? Grow the fuck up.”

“F-f-fuck you.” Bill growled, glaring daggers at all four of the teens.

“Guys!”

All heads turned just in time to see a very panicked Richie, Eddie and Ben appear from the woods. They all looked rather exhausted but Richie’s face was also determined. If he had to take down a lion at the moment he’d probably manage well by the look in his eyes. He sprinted towards his friends and extended his left hand and yet another mysterious phenomenon reared it’s ugly head.

Ice, like Eddie had described earlier, shot from his fingertips. Five long and sharp icicles and they were headed right for Hockstetter. Luckily, he had the good sense to raise his hands in defense because just before they hit him they froze in midair. Just like the leeches at his house had done before.

“Holy shit!” Belch cried, grabbing Patrick by the collar of his shirt and yanking him away. The sudden movement seemed to pull the ice out of their frozen state and they launched into a nearby tree. 

“What the **_FUCK!?”_** Richie, Patrick, Vic and Eddie all shouted in unison.

“You little shit!” Henry shouted, raising his right hand which was still engulfed in flames.

“No!” Stan cried, quickly raising his own hand. With a little more force than he ought to have used, he sent Bowers flying back once again.

“Guys, stop!” Beverly tried to plea but everyone was practically deaf to her words in all the chaos.

Patrick, seemingly recovered from his surprise at Richie’s unexpected attack, glared at Stan. “Alright, Professor Xavier...” One hand raised and everyone’s blood ran cold. They all knew firsthand what he could do but as he sent a blast in Stan’s direction, Mike intercepted it.

“Don’t!” He cried, raising both hands.

The explosion seemed to bounce off some invisible barrier and instead of hitting them hit Belch instead. Despite his large stature, the teen didn’t stand a chance and was tossed backwards, landing somewhere just beyond Henry. He groaned and curled inward on the ground, showing no rush to stand up or even move.

 _“What in the hell?”_ Mike murmured, staring at his hands like they were strange new appendages.

“Stop!” Vic cried but like Beverly, he too was ignored.

Patrick took a step closer to them, an angry glint in his eyes. “I don’t know how the fuck you just did that, but I’m getting real tired of you-”

 ** _“STOP!”_** Vic all but yelled, his voice echoing through the forest. As his voice raised, the calm waters of the quarry suddenly rose like a tsunami only to fall back down, slightly splashing Beverly, Mike, Stan and Bill.

If his shout wasn’t enough to stop the fighting and shut everyone up then the water definitely did the trick. Vic stepped in between Patrick and the four losers, slapping the lanky teen’s hand down.

“Stop.” He breathlessly pleaded, looking back and forth between his friends and the losers. “Everyone just fucking stop. I don’t know what the fuck is going on. _None_ of us know what the fuck is going on! But we’re **leaving,** alright?”

He turned a glare on Patrick, the danger in his eyes making it clear that there was no room for argument. “We’re fucking leaving.”

Hockstetter gave him a mocking smile followed by an eye roll. “Fucking whatever. If you’re so ready to go let’s fucking go then.”

Vic shoved him when he turned and started walking away but stopped a moment after. He turned to the losers, who were watching them leave in both fear and relief, and mouthed a quick _‘sorry’._ With that he continued after Patrick and helped their friends to get back on their feet and walking off into the distance.

Once they were out of eyesight Richie, Eddie and Ben rushed over to the others. Eddie practically threw himself at Mike, who easily caught him. Bill clapped a hand on Richie’s shoulder and pulled him into a one armed hug and Ben gave Beverly a light hug that she happily returned.

“Holy shit are we glad to see you Homeschool.” Richie replied, grinning at Mike.

Eddie pulled away but continued grinning up at the larger boy in relief. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt? I’m pretty sure I have my mini first aid kit here in my fanny pack and-”

“Eddie, I’m fine. Honest.” Mike insisted with a smile.

The smaller boy nodded but there was a doubt lingering in his eyes. He had no time to voice it however because Stan quickly spoke up.

“Richie, how the hell did you-”

“Don’t look so fucking shocked.” The trashmouth sighed. “Whatever happened in that cave obviously turned us all into the x-men.”

Bill chuckled and gave him a light squeeze. “S-so that means y-y-you’re-”

“That’s right.” Richie mused with a grin. “I’m fucking Bobby Drake bitches aka Iceman.”

The group shared a hearty laugh as Richie continued to brag about his powers. The happy air didn’t last long as the reality of their situation began to settle.

“So...” Ben murmured. “That means Eddie and I are the only ones without powers now.”

“That can wait.” Beverly replied, smiling down at him. “I think we should go...not home but let’s just not be here.”

“I second that.” Stan added. “Did you guys leave the bikes-”

“No and you all better be grateful because we dragged all fucking seven bikes down here.” Richie replied with a slight grimace.

“H-h-holy shit really?” Bill asked, eyes wide in awe. “H-h-how did you-”

“We left them when we saw you and Bowers going at it. They’re just over there.” Ben explained.

“Perfect.” Stan sighed. “Let’s go.”

.....................

Henry sighed as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. He shifted onto his side, hissing as the bumps and bruises from earlier on ached. Despite the fact that he was used to constant bruising from his shit stain of a father they still throbbed agonizingly.

“Fuck.” He muttered, running a hand down his side and feeling another bump.

 _Those fucking losers..._ He thought. They had managed to one up them for the first time today but that was because they had numbers. Next time he’d be more prepared.

“Plotting your revenge dear?”

Henry practically launched himself up off his bed, fire erupting on his finger tips. He looked over at the window in shock but immediately relaxed when he saw that it was only Hockstetter. His hands dropped down to his sides, the fire quickly extinguishing itself.

“The fuck are you doing here?” He huffed, walking over and pulling the other teen inside.

“My mom is being annoying and I can’t deal with it tonight. I found out something interesting though...”

“Which is?”

“I can freeze things too.”

Henry raised a brow, plopping down on his bed. “Fucking seriously? You didn’t figure that out when you stopped those icicles earlier?”

Patrick shrugged as he joined him, spreading out the bed like a lazy cat. “I figured maybe I imagined it but I froze my parents.”

“You what?” Bowers nearly exclaimed.

“Relax, I’m sure it’ll wear off. Besides...aren’t you happy that I managed to get away to come see you?”

“In case you haven’t noticed dumbass your parents aren’t exactly the strictest people on the planet.”

Patrick huffed and gave him a playful glare “You gonna kiss me Debby Downer or should I try Vic’s house instead?”

Henry snorted and rolled his eyes. “Fucking please, like Vic would ever-”

Patrick grabbed him by the front of his shirt and practically slammed their lips together. It didn’t take long for Henry to return his kisses and soon they were a tangled mess of limbs on the bed.

....................

Eddie sighed as he scribbled notes about nothing in particular. He had gotten an idea in his head that maybe if he wrote everything down things would start making sense. No such luck unfortunately. Nothing made any kind of sense.

“Goddammit...” The small boy swore, tossing his pencil away from him.

“Trouble in paradise?”

Eddie would have screamed if his hand hadn’t jumped up to cover his mouth. He turned around and wasn’t surprised in the least to find Richie staring back at him.

“Christ, Richie!” He growled softly, standing up and going over to help him inside. “You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here?”

“My parents aren’t back from their trip to Vegas yet and I don’t really want to be alone right now.” The other replied softly with a light shrug. “You mind if I crash here?”

Eddie sighed and shook his head. “No, no, of course I don’t mind just...be really quiet. My mom hasn’t gone to bed yet.”

“You won’t even know I’m here.” Richie promised with a wink.

The smaller boy gave him a doubtful glance and shook his head. “Richie, everyone knows where you are no matter where you go.”

“You callin me famous Eds?”

“No, I’m calling you loud and semi-obnoxious.”

Richie wrapped his arms around the other with a teasing grin. _“Ohhhh, ya so good to me doll.”_

“Knock it off!” Eddie softly grouched, trying to wiggle away from the other. His efforts proved successful because Richie slowly released him. “And don’t touch me Bobby Drake, your hands are fucking freezing! Your whole body is freezing!”

“I don’t feel it.” Richie insisted once again, looking down at his hands. “But I guess it must be true...look.”

Eddie looked down at his hands and gasped when he saw frost gathering one the other boy’s fingertips. Despite himself, he took Richie’s hands and in his own and brought them closer to his eyes. To his awe, confusion and surprise there was more frost was gathering by the second.

“Richie, how are you-”

“I’m not.” The other insisted softly. “At least I’m not on purpose, it just keeps happening. Earlier tonight, I almost froze the sandwich I made for dinner.”

“I wish I knew how to help...but none of this makes any sense. Things like this don’t just happen! People don’t have powers...it’s not real.”

“I think Stan, Mike, Beverly and myself would beg to differ. Apparently this stuff does happen because it’s happening to us...and we can’t stop it. None of us can.”

“I don’t want to stop it.”

“Don’t you?” Richie teased with a smile. “Come on, you and I both know that you’d give anything to have things go back to normal.”

“I don’t like this okay? Fucking sue me.”

“Hey, I don’t like it either.” Richie insisted, scooting closer to Eddie and bumping shoulders with him. “I mean who the fuck would? But wishful thinking isn’t going to make it all stop and go away. Whatever this is...it’s not going anywhere.”

The smaller boy met his eyes but quickly looked away. “I know that.” He murmured.

Richie nudged him gently with his elbow. “Hey.” He called softly. “That doesn’t mean it has to be all bad.”

Eddie turned to him with a confused sparkle shining in his big brown eyes. “I don’t...what are you talking about?”

The trashmouth grinned and held out one hand. “Look.” He instructed.

Confused but intrigued, Eddie obeyed and watched his hand. Frost was gathering once again but it was moving much quicker than it had before. Big brown eyes grew wider and wider as the frost melded into ice in the shape of a carousel horse. Once it had taken its form, Richie held it out to him with a grin.

“Holy shit.” Eddie whispered, taking it in his hands with a smile. “Richie-”

“Good things can come out of this too Eds.” He stated with a bright smile, showing almost all of his pearly white teeth. “These powers can be a gift...and I say we take full fucking advantage of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THAT I DIDN’T POST THIS PAST THURSDAY D’: 
> 
> School restarted and I’m swamped with both homework and work! I couldn’t find the time to right but that won’t happen again. I don’t know if I’ll have another chapter ready Thursday and if I do it’ll probably be a little short. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :3 (also here’s a video that should give you some insight on Patrick’s powers because idk if I’m describing it with enough justice. https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=27s&v=i4687F0pLyM) 
> 
> Thanks for reading guys!!! Please let me know what you think! I always love you guys’ feedback! <3


	10. Chapter 10

"You can do this."

Vic said the words over and over like a mantra. He stood in front of the basin in his bathroom which was filled nearly to the brim. The clear water was still and calm and the blonde stared down at his reflection, taking several deep breaths.

"You can do this." He told himself once again, pressing his hands against the sink. "Come _**on**_ you can fucking do this."

The more Vic stared at the water below the less confident he became. If he was being completely honest with himself he didn't know what he thought was going to happen. Maybe a slight twitch in the water or he'd even take a small little ripple! He just wanted _something_ to happen. _**Anything!**_

"Dammit." He growled softly, turning away from the sink and retreating to the wall. Pressing his back against it, he slid down and let his eyes slip closed.

Disappointment was never a feeling that he liked experiencing. Especially since he had been so sure of himself after the incident at the quarry. The water practically rose at his command! He had seen it happen...or maybe he was mistaken and it had been some silly hallucination. But if that was the case...

"No." Vic whispered, crawling to his feet and moving back to the filled sink. "No, it was _me._ It had to have been me."

He knew it. Deep down he knew that he was the one that moved the water. He just...couldn't do it now which was both confusing and frustrating. With an angry sigh the blonde reached for the sink, aiming to drain the water in defeat and retreat to his room for the night. As he was going to drain the water, a drop of red fell on his hand and seconds later three more followed.

Confused, he brought his hand to up to his face and stared at the red droplets. As he looked over his hand a few more drops fell, turning the clear water in the sink light pink. Against his better judgement, Vic looked up and was met by a pair of golden eyes staring down at him.

Perched on top of the medicine cabinet was a gigantic vulture! The bird was so huge it had to bend its neck so its head didn’t hit the ceiling! It bent its neck downwards to get a closer look at Vic, blood dripping from his pointed beak. The creature eyed the light haired teen like he was its next meal, a low grumbling sound emitting from its chest.

Vic could only stare at the huge bird with wide eyes, terror keeping him frozen where he stood. His body screamed at him to run or yell to alert his parents but he was trapped in that bright golden gaze. No matter how much he urged himself to run away he couldn't. His body wasn't listening to him anymore.

He shook where he stood, unable to even look away...at least until the bird decided to strike. Lifting its wings which nearly reached to the walls, the bird launched into the air with a piercing cry. With a scream that was a little feminine Vic stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet and crashing to the ground. The bird swooped down, its sharpened talons ready to rip him to shreds.

Instinctively, Vic squeezed his eyes shut and raised a hand to shield himself. A searing pain suddenly struck his arm but before Vic could even register the pain he was soaking wet. When he opened his eyes he found the vulture circling him up above in the air, also dripping with water. Quickly, he struggled to his feet with a hiss, clutching his arm close to his chest. He practically broke down the bathroom door in his haste to escape, turning back only once to find the bird still watching him and the bathroom sink now void of any water.

Rather than investigate further, the blonde made a break for his room, stumbling inside and slamming the door behind him. Quickly, he locked the door and sobbed as his arm suddenly flared with a burning pain. A soft cry of horror left him when he looked down and saw that there were three large gashes in his forearm, leaking blood onto his clothes and floor. He bit back a soft sob, snatching a nearby t-shirt from his bed to wrap around his arm. Usually he'd be more attentive with his wounds, taking the time clean them and actually bandage them properly, but there was no way in hell he was leaving his room. And he certainly wasn't going back to the bathroom which was where the first aid kit was.

Gently, Vic eased himself onto his bed and brought his knees up to his chest. Clutching his arm close, he watched his bedroom with wide and tearful eyes, scared that the bird would give chase. After a few moments of silence, when there was no sign that the vulture was still after him, he slowly turned onto his side and curled up into a ball. His arm still stung harshly and he cried silently as he nursed his injury, waiting for sleep to claim him.

......................

"Fuck you Patrick."

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry!?"

"I don't care how many time you fucking apologized, that shit really fucking hurt!"

Henry watched with lowered eyes as Belch and Patrick went back and forth with each other. Belch was furious with Patrick for hitting him with his powers and briefly knocking him out. Patrick wasn't really sorry, despite his numerous apologies, he just wanted Belch to stop being passive aggressive with him.

"It wasn't even me!" The lanky teen suddenly shouted. "I was trying to blow up the little Jew! I don't know how the fuck it hit you, I wasn't even fucking aiming at you!"

"It was the fucking losers." Henry suddenly chimed. "They...reversed it somehow."

"How's that even possible!?" Belch growled as he pulled into the driveway at Vic's house. Usually Patrick was the last one to get picked up but he had spent the night at Henry's house which made one less stop to go to.

"How the fuck should I know Belch!?" Bowers snapped. "How the fuck is _any_ of this shit possible!?"

A moment of silence passed between the trio as Belch parked the car. They all sat quietly, looking back and forth at each other. Almost like if they waited patiently enough that an answer would come but it never did.

Sighing, Henry climbed out of the car. "That's it. We're going back to that fucking cave." He announced. "As soon as we get Vic we're going."

Belch and Patrick shared a look but didn't argue. They followed him out of the car and to the front door. Henry raised a hand to knock but Patrick tugged his hand back down and kicked the welcome mat away from the door, revealing a spare key.

"How'd you know that was there!?" Belch inquired but he only received a threatening but weirdly flirty wink in response.

Henry and Belch watched as Patrick let himself inside the Cross household and followed after him. They passed through the kitchen, headed for the staircase to the bedrooms and ran right into Mr. and Mrs. Criss. The couple was in the middle of breakfast, both dressed up for work. It would've been the perfect family picture if their son had been there to join him. Both looked up in total surprise when they walked passed and an awkward silence quickly filled the room.

"Shit." Belch murmured.

"Boys." Mrs. Criss greeted, giving them a clearly forced attempt at a smile. "What a...lovely surprise. Wh-what are you doing h-"

Her sentence was abruptly cut off as she stared at them, her husband also staring and neither one of them moving. Not even to breathe.

"What...what the fuck?" Henry murmured, eyes widening. "What the hell's wrong with them?"

"Don't worry they're just frozen." Patrick mused, continuing on to the staircase.

"The fuck!? And since when can you do that!?" Belch demanded.

The lanky teen froze as he was climbing the steps to give him a teasing grin. "Jealous much?"

Belch lowered his eyes and even raised a middle finger. "Don't fucking flatter yourself. You could've blown them up you dumbass."

Patrick flipped him the bird in return and they continued up to the second level. As they approached their friend's room Henry couldn't help but notice that the bathroom door was wide open. He peeked inside and saw that the floor was wet and also stained with...blood? A light spray of red on the floor and sink. Ice ran through the larger teen's veins and he shoved past both Patrick and Henry, nearly knocking them to the floor, to race to Vic's door.

"Hey! What the fuck?!" Patrick growled but Belch wasn't paying him any attention. He was too busy pounding on Vic's bedroom door.

"Vic!? _**Vic!?"**_

Henry clapped a hand on his shoulder only to have it shrugged off in a matter of seconds. "Belch, what the fuck-"

"Vic, open the goddamn door or I swear to god I’ll-"

Before he could even finish the threat the door was slowly pulled open. Vic, looking worse than he ever had before, stood in the doorway. His clothes were wet and there was a t-shirt wrapped around his arm. He definitely hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and looked ready to pass out at any given second.

"Jesus fuck what the hell happened to you?" Patrick muttered, earning an elbow to the ribs from Henry.

The skinny blonde didn't pay him any attention, simply walking closer to Belch before draping his entire weight on him. It didn’t take longer for the larger teen to gather him in his arms and carry him back into his room, setting him down on the bed. Henry and Patrick followed after, closing the door behind them before joining their friends by the bed.

“Vic, what the hell happened?” Henry asked, giving the blonde a worried frown. “You look terrible.”

“I didn’t...I didn’t get much sleep last night.” The blonde confessed softly, cradling his arm lightly.

Patrick scoffed gently. “Well, obviously we can see that.”

“Shut the fuck up Hockstetter!” Henry growled, punching him in the shoulder before turning back to Vic. “What happened?”

“There was a...a vulture in my bathroom last night.” He murmured shakily.

“Um...pardon?” Hockstetter teaser.

“Patrick, I _swear_ to God!” Belch shouted furiously, giving the lanky teen his best glare. When he turned back to Vic he immediately went soft, eyes filling with worry. He reached out and touched his arm but Vic hissed and violently jerked away from him, making everyone jump at the sudden movement.

“The fuck?” Henry breathed out.

Tears had gathered in the blonde’s eyes as he held his arm close. As gently as he could manage, he pulled the shirt away from his arm and held it out for his friends to see. The three deep gashes were covered in dried blood but still very much there. Vic raised his wounded arm for his friends to see, keeping his eyes downcast.

 _“Jesus H...”_ Bowers breathed out. 

Belch stared at his arm in complete and total horror. “What the **_fuck!?_** The hell happened to you!?” He demanded, looking ready to find and thoroughly murder the culprit.

“It was the vulture.” Vic stated simply, slowly shaking his head. “It was in the bathroom and it fucking attacked me, would have killed me if I hadn’t gotten the fuck out of there.”

“Well, come on we have to clean your wounds.”

 _“No!”_ Vic practically shouted. “I’m not setting foot in that bathroom!”

“Whatever you saw is gone Vic.” Belch assured him. “I looked in the bathroom and there was nothing in there except some water on the floor and a little blood. That’s why I rushed to check on you. There was no vulture. Just a wet floor and blood. Besides if we’re with you then Patrick can just blow it up. That seems to be a talent of his.”

“Fuck you too.”

Belch gave the blonde a small nudge, smiling at him gently. “Come on, we can’t leave your arm like that and you know it.”

Vic sighed in defeat, knowing the other was right. He gave him a gentle nod but struggled to bite back his fear as Belch helped him up and led him to the bathroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SORRYYYYYY. I know I’m late again but here’s the next chapter guys!!!! Hope you enjoyed it!!! I’ll try to have the next chapter out on time next week :D 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! Feedback is always welcome and greatly appreciated!!! <3


	11. Chapter 11

_Eddie felt a tremble rush down his spine as he woke up in a dark and cold room. There was a strange dripping sound echoing close by like he was standing right next to a leaky faucet._

_"Hello?" He called, jumping when his own voice echoed deep in his ears._

_His call was met with a deafening silence save for the water dripping. Slowly he took a step forward into the darkness, reaching out with a shaky hand. He wasn't sure if he was searching for another person or a wall to lean against but he pursued the darkness nevertheless._

_It wasn't long into his blind searching that he stumbled upon something. As he was walking his foot hit some kind of barrier, stopping him in his tracks. He looked down and saw the outline of an oddly shaped silhouette._

_"Hello?" Eddie called again, only much more urgent this time._

_His instincts proved useful because seconds later there was a soft groan of pain. In a panic, Eddie carefully dropped to his knees and felt around for the injured person he was with. There was another noise of obvious discomfort and a hand reached up to feebly slap away his._

_"G-get the fuck off me you l-little shit."_

_Eddie froze in both shock and terror. He knew that voice despite it being weak and groggy and it didn't belong to a friend. That was one of very many voices that haunted his dreams._

_"Hockstetter?!" The small boy called, his voice shaken with fear._

_"Who the hell'd you think I was dipshit?"_

_"I was thinking something aloud the lines of the crypt keeper."_

_A soft growl rumbled in the small followed by an angry sigh. "If I could see where the fuck you are I would kick your faggy little teeth in."_

_Eddie didn't doubt his threat and was grateful for the darkness surrounding them. He stood and took a few steps away from the older teen, not wanting any sudden surprises. Hockstetter was the worst out of the Bowers gang in terms of creepiness and danger._

_"Where are we?" He asked softly, his voice trembling along with his body._

_"How the fuck should I-" Hockstetter's voice was cut off by his own grunt of pain._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"My head..." The lanky teen groggily stated, struggling to get back up on his feet. His movements were slow and sloppy almost like he was a drunken man stumbling around._

_"My head is fucking killing me..."_

_With no warning whatsoever Patrick crumpled to his knees; one hand raised to gently cradle his head. He was swaying back and forth like a swing blowing in the wind. Eddie was left to watch helplessly as the older boy slowly lost consciousness and crashed to the ground._

_Eddie jumped at the harsh sound of Hockstetter's frail looking body hitting the ground. He remained in the exact spot where he had fallen; the only sign of movement being his chest slowly rising and falling._

_"Oh shit." Kaspbrak mumbled, slowly crawling over to the lanky teen. "At least you're not dead...but where the hell are we?"_

_He looked around but the entire room was dark. Not a speck of light anyway and the only sounds were Hockstetter's almost troubled breathing and the distant water that was still dripping. There were no clues as to where they were anyway._

_**"Eddie..."** _

_The small boy's blood ran cold in his veins as a voice from behind called to him. He trembled violently but made a feeble attempt to stand still like a statue._

_**"Eddie..."** _

_The voice was sounded odd...almost ethereal in a strange way. It was a mixture of pleasant and playful with a hint of danger and even hunger. This voice spoke like a starved man that had just found his next meal to devour._

_Eddie didn't dare answer the voice but with each passing second he felt less and less alone. There was an odd breeze coming from over his shoulders, like someone was breathing heavily on him. Every fiber of his being told him to make a run for it. Maybe whatever was standing behind him would take an interest in Hockstetter and leave him alone but there was only one problem._

_He couldn't see where the hell he would be going. There was no exit...as far as he knew from the darkness._

_"Come join the clown Eds." The voice urged playfully._

_A hand came down to grip the small boy's shoulder and he sucked in a terrified breath. The grip was soft at first, almost nonexistent but then it tightened, each finger digging into his flesh._

_A soft laugh echoed behind him and Eddie held his breath. "You'll float down here..." The voice mused, almost reassuring as the grip on his shoulder grew even tighter. "We all **float down here."**_

_The voice grew deeper and more distorted with each word and suddenly a searing pain struck his shoulder. With a choked sob he fell to his knees, one hand pressed to his shoulder which was now free of the invisible grip. Eddie yelled in shock as flames of agony licked at him, throbbing and stinging with every breath. He felt the dreadful sensation of blood rushing out of him and applied more pressure to his wounds, choking back sob after sob as the pain flooded through his system._

_Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh **god!** The small boy thought to himself, still clutching at his oozing wound._

_He heard a pained grunt and looked up to see Hockstetter shifting. It looked like he was trying to sit up but given his, what Eddie was assuming to be a head wound, he couldn't. He collapsed just as soon as he had started sitting up but it looked like he was going to try again._

_And then the laughter began._

_Eddie barely even had time to register the gruesome sound because not a moment after it began, he was tackled from behind. He grunt and groaned as he was wrestled to the ground, hand and arms pinned underneath his weight. That didn't stop him from putting up a good fight however. He wrestled and struggled but whoever or whatever was on top of him clearly had the advantage weight wise._

_And then it happened. A pain so severe Eddie found himself wishing he could faint at will to escape it. Two fingers, large and long, dug into his wound and hooked themselves inside, nearly stretching his skin from his nerves. Tears quickly gathered in Eddie's brown eyes as he screamed himself hoarse from the sheer agony._

_**EDDIE!** _

With a startled gasp the small boy bolted upright in his bed, panic taking over as he searched the room. He found himself no longer in the dark space but in his bedroom, safe and sound. He also found that he wasn't alone. Richie was sitting up in bed beside him, staring at him with wide and worried eyes.

Eddie managed to calm down after a few deep breaths, settling himself back into reality. He frowned when he noticed Richie was still staring at him.

"What?" He asked a little harsher than he meant to. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Richie winced as he adjusted his glasses and blinked a few times like he was trying to register what he had just witnessed. "Well, it's not every day you wake up to someone's screaming and thrashing. Fuck, Eds are you okay?"

"No. I mean y-yes! I just...I don't know!" The smaller boy exclaimed shakily, too upset to even notice that Richie called him by his "hated" nickname.

"Alright, alright, calm the hell down will ya? We are in the same house as your mother remember?"

Eddie shivered at the thought, arms coming up to wrap around his middle. As soon as his left arm moved however there was a sudden and very familiar jab of pain. Immediately he let it drop back down with a hiss, already fighting back the gathering tears.

"Eddie? Are you okay?" Richie inquired, scooting a bit closer and even tugging his shirt up so he could see what was wrong.

Eddie flushed with embarrassment fought like a caged animal to keep his shirt but Richie was persistent. Not to mention the more he moved the more pain he felt. Slowly he stopped resisting and let the other tug his shirt off and turn him to the side to see what was bothering him. The silence that followed wasn't comforting either.

"Richie, say something dammit." He finally breathed out, his body beginning to tremble again.

The trashmouth placed a hand on his shoulder. "Holy fucking _shit_ I just...I don't even...your _back_ Eddie."

A sudden wave of panic crashed over Eddie and turned to look at his friend. "What about it!?" He softly demanded, honestly fearful of what his response would be.

His question was met with silence as Richie simply stared at his back. No amount of cuss words could ever fully expression the shock and horror he was feeling at the moment. It looked like Eddie had been mauled from behind by a tiger's claw. Three long and deep looking gashes spanning from the top of his shoulder all the way down his back. They weren't bleeding but they were an angry red color like someone had just splashed them with hydrogen peroxide.

"Richie, please say something." Eddie pleaded softly with a light sob.

"I don't...it's _bad_ Eddie." He muttered, unsure of what he could say. "Like, it's _really bad..._ what the **_fuck_** happened?!"

Eddie reached behind and touched his back, a haunted look in his eyes. "I don't...I don't know..."

..........................

"What the **FUCK!?"**

"Don't worry they're just frozen!"

Vic gave Patrick a glare that could scare the pants off the Devil. "What the fuck do you mean they're **_FROZEN?!"_** He demanded.

"I mean frozen as in they're like statues but it is completely reversible." The lanky teen assured him with a smile.

Belch scoffed. “Okay, how the fuck?” 

“Seriously, Hockstetter how the hell are you so good at using your powers already!?” Bowers demanded.

“What are you practicing or something?” Belch inquired.

Patrick blinked, looking back and forth between the two. “Are you guys _not_ practicing?”

“No!” Vic growled. “Believe it or not Patrick, some of us actually make an attempt to at least try to be normal.”

The lanky teen shrugged simply. “That’s you guys’ issue.”

“Will you _please_ just unfreeze my fucking parents!?”

Hockstetter sighed and rolled his eyes. “They’re fucking fine Vic.”

“Yeah but you still could’ve blown them up dumbass.” Belch added.

“Not to mention, you don’t actually know if that shit is permanent. You used it on your parents and then left the house, your parents could still be frozen.” Henry thought aloud.

 _“WHAT!?”_ Vic screamed.

“Oh my god, they’re fine!” Patrick insisted.

“Unfreeze my _FUCKING PARENTS.”_ The blonde demanded again, casting his glare at Patrick.

“Alright. Alright.” Patrick sighed, raising his hands in surrender.

He waved his hand and just like that his parents were fine and normal. Mr. Criss was too busy running his eyes over his newspaper to even look up and acknowledge them. Mrs. Criss jolted back to life, continuing the chatter she had been stopped in when the boys had intruded into her house. Her words were jumbled and confusing like she had been speaking too fast and lost track of her own words. She jumped in surprise when she noticed her son was now standing with his friends.

“Fucking told you.” Patrick teased, ignoring Vic when he punched his shoulder.

“Do **not** fucking do that again.” The blonde warned softly only to be waved away. He went to hit Hockstetter again but his mother’s voice halted his movements.

"Victor, honey you're awake!” She exclaimed happily, a bright and wide smile claiming her lips. “Are you going off with your little friends now?"

Vic's anger towards Patrick was gone in seconds and was replaced with blank apathy instead. He nodded quickly and urged his friends out of the room and towards the front door.

"We probably won't be home when you get back sweetie!" His mother called after them. "So just let yourself in."

That made the blonde stop in his tracks. He turned back to his parents and slowly returned to the kitchen. His mother stood as he approached and pulled him into a hug when he reached her. She gave him a light squeeze and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"It's just a little trip." She murmured as she pulled away, bringing his hands to her lips and kissing his knuckles. "We'll be back in a few days."

Vic gave her a smile but it wasn't sincere in the least. His eyes were blank and his smile forced as he nodded. She was lying...he knew that. It was just a little trip that would probably last two or three weeks. She would call him occasionally and send him money for groceries but they wouldn't come home until they absolutely had to.

"Okay." He muttered, not an ounce of optimism in his voice.

For a split second his mother's happy visage cracked and her eyes saddened. No doubt she knew that he knew they were just lying to him. Just like they always did before they left. Her despair didn't last five minutes before she corrected it with another one of her false smiles. Like all was completely right with the world.

"We'll be home before you know it." She assured him once again, pressing one last kiss to her forehead. "Two maybe three days tops."

"Okay mom." Vic murmured with a weak nod, pulling away from her and rejoining his friends. He didn't bother looking back at the two people who would be nothing but ghosts when he came home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m finally back on time!!!! 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this story! It means the world to me! I hope you guys enjoyed it!!!
> 
> Feedback is welcome as always :)


	12. Chapter 12

Stan felt his face flush as he sat patiently on the park bench, both of his hands clasped in Mike’s. The other boy had his eyes closed and a hard look of concentration plastered on his face. The curly haired boy fought back a smile as he watched the other.

“What exactly are you trying to do again?” He inquired quietly.

Warm brown eyes opened and Mike sighed in defeat. “I don’t even know anymore.” He confessed, dropping Stan’s hands in defeat.

“Your powers obviously work differently than ours do.” Beverly noted, giving him an encouraging pat on the knee.

“Yeah, I can’t use mine whenever I want to like you guys can.” Hanlon murmured with a sigh. He was frustrated to say the least. Frustrated because whenever it was inconvenient for him his powers decided to rear their ugly head but when he actually _wanted_ to use them they were nowhere to be found.

“This sucks.” He groaned with a pout. 

“A-At least you h-h-have a power.” Bill observed.

Mike looked over at him with a raised brow. “How do you know you don’t have one too?” He asked.

All eyes were suddenly on Bill who flushed beet red. “I-If I did have one wouldn’t it have sh-sh-shown up by now?”

“Ben and Eddie’s haven’t.” Stan pointed out. “Richie’s took longer to show up too…maybe it’s the same for you guys.”

“I hope so…” Ben muttered from his seat beside Beverly.

The redhead turned to smile at him, tilting her head like a curious kitten. “Do you _want_ to have powers?”

He gave her a soft smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Beats not having any at all and watching you guys use yours all the time. Besides…I could get a power just as beautiful as yours, if I’m lucky of course.”

Now it was Beverly’s turn to flush red. Oddly enough her blush seemed to travel all over her body until finally a cloud of dust seemed to erupt from her chest. It was shaped like an angry storm cloud but instead of a dark gray it was a light pink with a reddish hue. All the losers sat star-struck as the cloud grew and even thundered a little before vanishing with a soft POP!

“Whoa…” Stan whispered.

Ben looked at Beverly, who was hugging herself closely, a small smile tugging at her lips. “What was that?” He asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder but hesitating when he noticed how her skin remained red.

“No idea…but it felt nice.” She replied with a blissful smile. “Like being hugged by a thousand teddy bears while sipping on hot cocoa and eating pizza.”

The losers stared at her like she had grown a third eye but the redhead couldn’t be bothered to care. Mike smiled after awhile and hooked an arm around her shoulders, laughing gently as she turned to nuzzle her face into his neck.

“I think it’s safe to say that Beverly has the best power.” He announced, chuckling in shock when her arm began to tingle and send a tickle through his arm.

“We can’t know until we see Eddie and Ben’s powers.” Stan pointed out.

“Sp-speaking of wh-where are Richie and E-Eddie?” Bill asked, sitting up to scan the sidewalk and park for their missing friends.

………………………

Eddie sobbed in agony as Richie bandaged his back and upper left shoulder. It hurt worse than any pain he had ever felt before in his entire life, especially when they hosed the wounds in disinfectant. The pain was so agonizing that Eddie had to bite down on one of his shirts to ensure his mother didn’t hear him screaming. An endless stream of tears leaked from his red rimmed eyes and he had spent the past five minutes trying to choke back his sobs to no avail. He knew Richie was being as gentle as he possibly could but it still hurt like hell.

“I’m sorry Eds.” Richie replied, voice just as hurt and broken as his own which made Eddie wonder if Richie was crying behind him.

“It’s fine. I’m okay.” He insisted, harshly wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. “A-are you almost done?”

“Just one more bandage and you’ll be good as new.” Richie tried to sound optimistic but it came out harshly neutral. As soon as the last bit of gauze was secured he leaned down and pressed his head to the back of Eddie’s, letting out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“There ya go Eds. Patched up and ready to go.” He assured him with a sniffle. He reached underneath his glasses and furiously wiped at his eyes and blinking back more tears. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Eddie slowly rose to his feet; letting out a barrage of breaths and trembling where he stood. He nodded his response and quickly made his way to his closet to pull on a clean shirt. “Come on.” He urged Richie. “We said we’d meet up at the park today. The others are probably waiting for us.”

“Okay but what am I supposed to do with all of this?” Richie asked.

Eddie turned to see the other motioning to all of the bandage wrappers and wipes that were soaked with his blood. He swore gently and motioned to his fanny pack, now void of the medical supplies he usually had packed inside. He made a mental note to go and buy some more later.

“Put them in my fanny pack. We’ll throw them out when we get to town.”

“Why not throw them away in the bathroom?”

Eddie gave him an incredulous look. “Are you fucking kidding? Have you met my mother? She sees anything with blood on it in the garbage and she’ll lock me up in this whole fucking house for the rest of the summer.”

Richie nodded. “Good point.”

…………………

“I’m starting to get worried.” Stan mumbled, watching the streets and sidewalks like a hawk for any sign of their friends. “You think Bowers might have gotten to them?”

“Let’s not panic.” Ben suggested. “Maybe they just woke up late.”

Bill nodded his agreement. “R-Richie was never one to w-wake up on time.”

Beverly frowned and began to search as well. “If they’re not here soon then we should go look”

“There!” Mike exclaimed, arm jotting out to point across the street where Eddie and Richie were rushing over to them.

The rest of the losers were on their feet in seconds, meeting them halfway on the sidewalk. As soon as they were within range of the two they noticed just how unkempt and exhausted the two looked. Eddie’s eyes were reddened and a little swollen, signaling that he had been crying. Richie looked like he hadn’t slept in days and was ready to collapse on the spot but was still trying to pass off a smile that was nowhere near genuine.

“Are you guys okay?” Stan asked though his question seemed to be more aimed towards Eddie.

A moment of silence passed and Eddie looked over to Richie, who was already giving him a concerned glance. With a shaky sigh the smaller boy shook his head lightly.

“Not even a little bit.” He sighed, slowly rolling his shoulders backwards.

“Come on.” Mike urged, motioning to the bench they had all been lounging on before. “You guys need to sit down.”

Both boys made no move to protest and followed after Mike. Eddie carefully eased himself down onto his seat, wincing as he did so, and Richie just plopped down beside him. Mike sat on Eddie’s other side and Beverly sat on Richie’s. Bill, Ben and Stan all took a seat on the grass in front of them.

“So…what happened?” Ben inquired, look bath and forth between the two. “Don’t take this the wrong but…you guys look like absolute shit.”

Eddie huffed a laugh. “Thanks. I feel like shit too.”

“What happened?” Beverly reiterated.

“I’m not sure…I had this weird dream last night.” Eddie began, looking up at all his friends who were staring at him like he was a porcelain doll about to shatter. “I was in this…dark room with Hockstetter but he was hurt, said something about his head, but he passed out and then…” His voice trailed off as he shuddered, remembering the creature’s hand on his shoulder and it’s creepy voice in his ears.

_**Come join the clown Eds…** _

“Eddie?”

The small boy jumped at the sound of Mike’s voice, turning to look at him and not surprised to find a worried look on his face. He tried to smile and even insist on saying that he was fine but his voice refused to cooperate with him. Mike gently put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile that he returned. Eddie felt a sudden rush of reassurance and continued on with his story, grateful when Mike didn’t withdraw his hand.

“I was…he just had a hand on my shoulder and he was talking to me but then he just”

Without warning the scratches on his back flared and stung like he had been scratched all over again. Nothing could have prepared Eddie for the sudden pain and he cried out in shock and pain, his eyes immediately spilling tears. He fought back the urge to cover his wounds with his hand, knowing that it would only make it feel worse.

As he sobbed and cried, he heard another pained noise cause him to look over. To his immense shock and horror, Mike’s face was contorted with shock and pain.

“Guys? What’s going on?” Stan asked, voice laced with panic as he watched the two.

Mike gasped and reached behind him to grip his shoulder with a trembling hand. _“Oh god.”_ He groaned, tears beginning to race down his cheeks. He felt around for the wound, hissing as his skin stung and burned with an agonizing pain but no matter how much he felt around there was no injury to find…

Because he wasn’t the one that was hurt. Eddie was.

His eyes traveled back to his hand, still grasping at Eddie’s shoulders. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut and his eyes grew to enormous proportions. Somehow Eddie’s pain was being transferred to him and it hurt like hell.

“Eddie…what-what happened?” He groaned.

“Whatever was there with me…it scratched me.”

“In your dream?” Beverly asked.

“Y-yeah but when I woke up-”

“When _I_ woke you up.” Richie corrected, gently rubbing at his back in an effort to soothe the pain. “He was whimpering and screaming something fierce.”

If Eddie had any motivation at the moment he would glare and fire back like he usually did but he was in mood. “When I woke up…the scratches were there, like I was actually attacked.”

Mike sobbed and pulled Eddie into a gentle hug. His fingers grazed over the smaller boy’s bandages and the pain flared in his own shoulder. He whimpered and gave Eddie a little squeeze. He couldn’t have imagined how terrifying all of this had to have been for him. Eddie made no move to fight against the hug, even leaning into the larger boy and nuzzling his shoulder. Mike was warm and nice and smelled like sandalwood and marshmallows, an odd combination that somehow worked for him.

Oddly enough, the longer he held on…the less pain he felt. In fact, the pain seemed to be fading away with each passing second. Eddie frowned in confusion and turned to Richie, who was still rubbing his back.

“Richie, my bandages.”

The trashmouth blinked. “What?”

“Take off my bandages.”

 _“What!?_ Why the _fuck-”_

“Just do it! Please!”

“Alright, alright.” Richie sighed, raising his hands in defeat. “Keep your fuckin pants on.”

As gently as he could manage the trashmouth pulled up Eddie’s shirt and slowly tugged away the bandages, trying to make it as painless as possible. His eyes grew wide as he removed them fast enough to see the last of the three scratches close. Like someone had taken a zipper and zipped his skin back up. His skin was an angry reddish color but it slowly faded away until his skin was its usual fair color. But that wasn’t the strangest thing…the strangest thing was the golden hue surrounding Mike’s hands but as soon as the wounds closed it faded away.

“Holy fucking shit.” Richie muttered in complete disbelief.

“Wh-what is it?” Bill asked.

“They’re gone.” Richie annouced, running his hand over the now smooth skin of Eddie’s back. “All of his scratches are just fucking gone! But Mike…how the fuck did you do that?”

Mike didn’t even look up at Richie; all of his focus set on his hands. Eddie leapt away from him, reaching into his shirt and feeling around his shoulder. He gasped in relief and sagged against the park bench, a smile stretching across his face.

“Oh, that feels so much better.” He breathed out, an obvious feeling of relief and euphoria spreading through him. “Mike, how-”

“I…I don’t know.” He quickly confessed, still watching his hands. It felt like they were some magical new instruments that he was learning to use and in a way they were. But **only** when his powers decided they were gonna do their stuff.

“Please don’t ask me how because…I really don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little late but here's the next chapter!!!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!!! <3
> 
> Feedback is always welcome :)


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